Sample records for eastern north dakota

Over the past 25 years, the James River in North and South Dakota has experienced records in minimum and maximum discharge. Our objectives were to compare: (1) the fish community in the main river after dry (1988-90) and wet (1993-2000) years, and (2) the fish community of both the main river and tributaries between dry (1975) and wet (1998-2000) years. In South Dakota in the main river, there were 10 families and 29 species after several dry years and 11 families and 35 species after several wet years. Percichthyidae was the additional family after the wet years. Basinwide, there were 41 species present after the dry 1970s and 50 species after the wet 1990s. Overall, 93% of the species collected in 1975 have persisted. Our results provide some support for the flood pulse concept, and the findings suggest that the fish community can be useful for biomonitoring of prairie streams.

Reconstructions of mass extinction events are based upon faunal patterns, reconstructed from numerical and diversity data ultimately derived from rocks. It follows that geological complexity must not be subsumed in the desire to establish patterns. This is exemplified at the Terrestrial Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary in eastern Montana and western NorthDakota, where there are represented all of the major indicators of the terrestrial K/T transition: dinosaurian and non-dinosaurian vertebrate faunas, pollen, a megaflora, iridium, and shocked quartz. It is the patterns of these indicators that shape ideas about the terrestrial K/T transition. In eastern Montana and western NorthDakota, the K/T transition is represented lithostratigraphically by the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, and the Tertiary Tullock Formation. Both of these are the result of aggrading, meandering, fluvial systems, a fact that has important consequences for interpretations of fossils they contain. Direct consequences of the fluvial depositional environments are: facies are lenticular, interfingering, and laterally discontinuous; the occurrence of fossils in the Hell Creek and Tullock formations is facies-dependent; and the K/T sequence in eastern Montana and western NorthDakota is incomplete, as indicated by repetitive erosional contacts and soil successions. The significance for faunal patterns of lenticular facies, facies-dependent preservation, and incompleteness is discussed. A project attempting to reconstruct vertebrate evolution in a reproducible manner in Hell Creek-type sediments must be based upon a reliable scale of correlations, given the lenticular nature of the deposits, and a recognition of the fact that disparate facies are not comparable in terms of either numbers of preserved vertebrates or depositional rates.

Between 2002 and 2012, the rate of job growth in NorthDakota will be modest: under 1 percent annually. However, a large number of positions-close to a quarter of all jobs in the state-will open up for hiring due to retirements and separations. In addition, the demand for well-educated employees will only increase over the next several years. In…

To understand local transmission of vector-borne diseases, it is important to identify potential vectors, characterize their host feeding patterns, and determine if vector-borne pathogens are circulating within the region. This study simultaneously investigated these aspects of disease transmission by collecting engorged mosquitoes within two rural study sites in the central Red River Valley of NorthDakota. Mosquitoes were identified, midguts were excised, and the blood was expelled from the midguts. DNA was extracted from blood meals and subjected to PCR and direct sequencing to identify the vertebrate origin of the blood. Using different primer sets, PCR was used to screen for two types of vector-borne pathogens, filarioid nematodes and hemosporidian parasites. White-tailed deer were the primary source of blood meals for the eight aedine mosquito species collected. None of the 288 deer-derived blood meals contained filarioid or hemosporidian DNA. In contrast, 18 of 32 Culex tarsalis and three of three Cx. pipiens blood meals contained avian blood, representing eight different species of birds. Of 24 avian-derived blood meals examined, 12 contained Plasmodium DNA, three of which also contained Leucocytozoon DNA (i.e., dual infection). Potential confounding effects resulting from parasite acquisition and development from previous blood meals (e.g., oocysts) were eliminated because host blood had been removed from the midguts prior to DNA extraction. Thus, specific parasite lineages/species could be unequivocally linked to specific vertebrate species. By combining mosquito identification with molecular techniques for identifying blood meal source and pathogens, a relatively small sample of engorged mosquitoes yielded important new information about mosquito feeding patterns and hemosporidia infections in birds. Thorough analyses of wild-caught engorged mosquitoes and other arthropods represent a powerful tool in understanding the local transmission of vector

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Annotated version Click on the image for high resolution TIFF file

Why does Fargo flood? The Red River of the North, which forms the border between NorthDakota and Minnesota, has a long history of severe floods. Major floods include those of 1826, 1897, 1950, 1997, and now 2009. The 1997 flood caused billions of dollars of damage, with greatest impact to the city of Grand Forks, north of and downstream from Fargo. The 2009 flood, which has primarily impacted Fargo, appears to have peaked early on March 28.

Several factors combine to cause floods. Obviously, rainfall and snowmelt rates (and their geographic distribution) are the fundamental variables that create flooding in some years and not others. But the repetition of flooding in Fargo (and areas downstream), rather than in adjacent regions, can be attributed largely to its topographic setting and geologic history.

The formation of landforms in the geologic past is often interpretable from digital topographic data, such as that supplied by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This image, covering parts of NorthDakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota, displays ground elevation as brightness (higher is brighter) plus has simulated shading (with illumination from the north) to enhance topographic detail such as stream channels, ridges, and cliffs.

The Red River of the North is the only major river that flows northward from the United States into Canada. In this scene it flows almost straight north from Fargo. North of this image it continues past the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and into Lake Winnipeg, which in turn drains to Hudson Bay. In the United States, the river lies in a trough that was shaped by continental glaciers that pushed south from Canada during the Pleistocene epoch, up to about 10,000 years ago. This trough is about 70 km (45 miles) wide and tens of meters (very generally about 100 feet) deep. Here near Fargo it lies on

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Annotated version Click on the image for high resolution TIFF file

Why does Fargo flood? The Red River of the North, which forms the border between NorthDakota and Minnesota, has a long history of severe floods. Major floods include those of 1826, 1897, 1950, 1997, and now 2009. The 1997 flood caused billions of dollars of damage, with greatest impact to the city of Grand Forks, north of and downstream from Fargo. The 2009 flood, which has primarily impacted Fargo, appears to have peaked early on March 28.

Several factors combine to cause floods. Obviously, rainfall and snowmelt rates (and their geographic distribution) are the fundamental variables that create flooding in some years and not others. But the repetition of flooding in Fargo (and areas downstream), rather than in adjacent regions, can be attributed largely to its topographic setting and geologic history.

The formation of landforms in the geologic past is often interpretable from digital topographic data, such as that supplied by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This image, covering parts of NorthDakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota, displays ground elevation as brightness (higher is brighter) plus has simulated shading (with illumination from the north) to enhance topographic detail such as stream channels, ridges, and cliffs.

The Red River of the North is the only major river that flows northward from the United States into Canada. In this scene it flows almost straight north from Fargo. North of this image it continues past the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and into Lake Winnipeg, which in turn drains to Hudson Bay. In the United States, the river lies in a trough that was shaped by continental glaciers that pushed south from Canada during the Pleistocene epoch, up to about 10,000 years ago. This trough is about 70 km (45 miles) wide and tens of meters (very generally about 100 feet) deep. Here near Fargo it lies on

The purpose of this mixed study dissertation was to determine if teachers in NorthDakota public schools show signs of teacher burnout and the extent to which NCLB is a major stress factor. The research questions were: To what extent are teachers experiencing symptoms of burnout? What are the factors of burnout? The research hypothesis was: The…

Vapor-phase and suspended particulate (<50 {mu}m) samples were collected on polyurethane foam (PUF) and quartz fiber filters in rural NorthDakota to determine the air concentrations of pesticides in an area where agriculture is a primary source of semivolatile pollutants. Samples were collected at two sites from 1992 to 1994 that were at least 0.4 km from the nearest farmed fields and known application of pesticides, and analyzed for 22 different organochlorine, triazine, and acid herbicide pesticides. Fourteen pesticides were found above the detection limits (typically <1 pg/m{sup 3}). Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were much lower (<50 pg/m{sup 3} in all cases) than many of the pesticides. These results demonstrate that pesticides are among the most prevalent chlorinated semivolatile pollutants present in rural NorthDakota, that significant transport of pesticides occurs both in the vapor-phase and on suspended particulate matter, and that blown soil may be a significant mechanism for introducing pesticides into surface and ground waters. 32 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

Faculty development programs in Minnesota, South Dakota, and NorthDakota, which were funded by the Bush Foundation, are described. Activities include advising, curriculum development and course review, department reviews, grants, humanistic studies, internships and interdisciplinary teaching, journals, leave supplements, master teachers,…

Attention is directed in this document to the NorthDakota State Department of Public Instruction and its necessary role in refining and implementing a comprehensive plan for educational improvement in NorthDakota. The thesis is advanced that expanded leadership at the state level is crucial for educational improvement in NorthDakota. It is also…

Bismarck State College, along with its partners (Williston State College, Minot State University and Dickinson State University), received funding to help address the labor and social impacts of rapid oilfield development in the Williston Basin of western NorthDakota. Funding was used to develop and support both credit and non-credit workforce training as well as four major symposia designed to inform and educate the public; enhance communication and sense of partnership among citizens, local community leaders and industry; and identify and plan to ameliorate negative impacts of oil field development.

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is the major oilseed crop in NorthDakota with production concentrated in the eastern half of the state. Only one virus, Soybean mosaic virus, has been reported from soybean in NorthDakota. In 2010, 200 soybean fields from 25 counties that have the majority of soybe...

This resource guide describes the NorthDakota University System and provides information about the programs and costs of higher education in the NorthDakota system. An introduction describes the institutions in the system: two doctorate granting institutions (the University of NorthDakota and NorthDakota State University), one master's…

Williams County, in northwestern NorthDakota, is located near the center of the structural and sedimentary Williston basin. The preglacial sedimentary formations beneath the county are as much as 14,828 feet thick. Their beds dip generally to the south except along the flanks of the north-south striking Nesson anticline in the eastern part of the county. Late Wisconsinan glacial deposits cover all of Williams County except along the Missouri River and other scattered small areas.

According to a 2008 report issued by the United States Geological Survey, NorthDakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation. With the size and remoteness of the discovery, the question became 'can a business case be made for increasing refining capacity in NorthDakota?' And, if so what is the impact to existing players in the region. To answer the question, a study committee comprised of leaders in the region's petroleum industry were brought together to define the scope of the study, hire a consulting firm and oversee the study. The study committee met frequently to provide input on the findings and modify the course of the study, as needed. The study concluded that the Petroleum Area Defense District II (PADD II) has an oversupply of gasoline. With that in mind, a niche market, naphtha, was identified. Naphtha is used as a diluent used for pipelining the bitumen (heavy crude) from Canada to crude markets. The study predicted there will continue to be an increase in the demand for naphtha through 2030. The study estimated the optimal configuration for the refinery at 34,000 barrels per day (BPD) producing 15,000 BPD of naphtha and a 52 percent refinery charge for jet and diesel yield. The financial modeling assumed the sponsor of a refinery would invest its own capital to pay for construction costs. With this assumption, the internal rate of return is 9.2 percent which is not sufficient to attract traditional investment given the risk factor of the project. With that in mind, those interested in pursuing this niche market will need to identify incentives to improve the rate of return.

The West Fargo area, an area of 230 sq mi in eastern Cass County , is underlain by glaciofluvial sand and gravel deposits that form the West Fargo aquifer system. The aquifer system contains about 131,300 million gallons of available groundwater in storage. Recharge to the aquifer system is estimated to be about 600 to 650 million gallons per year. Discharge in 1980 is estimated to have been 683 million gallons. Pumping from the West fargo aquifer system began in the latter part of the 19th century. No records of pumpage were kept in the early years, but pumpage has averaged 613 million gallons/year near West Fargo at least since 1968. Water levels, which were near or above land surface at West Fargo in 1869, have declined to as much as 121.7 ft below land surface in 1981. In areas of little or no pumpage, water levels have declined much less. The rate of water-level decline in an observation well in the West Fargo South aquifer was as low as 0.2 ft/year, but increased to a rate of 2.1 ft/yr from 1976 through 1981 due to an increase of the average annual pumping rate of about 59.9 million gallons at a well field about 5 miles north. Water in the aquifer system contains from 332 to 2,960 mgs/L of dissolved solids and 25 to 975 mgs/L of chloride ions. (USGS)

... acquire conservation easements is from the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as amended (16 U... Fish and Wildlife Service Establishment of Dakota Grassland Conservation Area, NorthDakota and South... Conservation Area, the 554th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Service established the...

Besides their primary mission of providing education to the students of NorthDakota, the 11 colleges and universities in the state represent an important "industry" which generates substantial income to the businesses and people of the state. Total college-related spending in NorthDakota was $76 million during the 1973-1974 school year. This…

Analysis of all geothermal aquifers in NorthDakota and South Dakota indicates an accessible resource base of approximately 21.25 exajoules (10{sup 18} J = 1 exajoule, 10{sup 18} J{approximately}10{sup 15} Btu=1 quad) in NorthDakota and approximately 12.25 exajoules in South Dakota. Resource temperatures range from 40{degree}C at depths of about 700 m to 150{degree}C at 4500 m. This resource assessment increases the identified accessible resource base by 31% over the previous assessments. These results imply that the total stratabound geothermal resource in conduction-dominated systems in the United States is two-to-three times greater than some current estimates. The large increase in the identified accessible resource base is primarily due to inclusion of all potential geothermal aquifers in the resource assessment and secondarily due to the expanded data base compiled in this study. These factors were interdependent in that the extensive data base provided the means for inclusion of all potential geothermal aquifers in the analysis. Previous assessments included only well-known aquifer systems and were limited by the amount of available data. 40 refs., 16 figs., 8 tabs.

This report describes and evaluates the NorthDakota state/local fiscal system, especially as it relates to financing public education. It identifies and evaluates various fiscal policy options for raising additional tax revenue for support of schools and other public services in ways consistent with the basic characteristics of the North Dakota…

A portion of the NorthDakota Beef Industry Survey was developed to determine how educational programs can evolve to meet future needs of NorthDakota beef producers. Of the 2,500 surveys mailed out to beef producers, 527 responses were completed and returned. Results highlight the level of education of NorthDakota beef producers, anticipated use…

The basis for this study was to determine: (1) If school districts in NorthDakota have an emergency response plan; (2) How comprehensive their emergency response plan is; (3) How well prepared school districts in NorthDakota are for any type of disaster; and (4) The extent to which NorthDakota LEAD Center school emergency response training and…

Using a geology-based assessment method, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered volumes of 3.8 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, 3.7 trillion cubic feet of associated/dissolved natural gas, and 0.2 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in the Williston Basin Province, NorthDakota, Montana, and South Dakota. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a comprehensive oil and gas assessment of the Williston Basin, which encompasses more than 90 million acres in parts of NorthDakota, eastern Montana, and northern South Dakota. The assessment is based on the geologic elements of each total petroleum system (TPS) defined in the province, including hydrocarbon source rocks (source-rock maturation, hydrocarbon generation, and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and timing). Using this geologic framework, the USGS defined 11 TPS and 19 Assessment Units (AU).

The 1988-89 study reported in this paper focused on teacher attrition, examining the characteristics of beginning teachers in NorthDakota. The purpose was to compare characteristics of those teachers who stayed in their first positions with those who left. The study gathered data by surveying school administrators and elementary and secondary…

The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the attitudes of high school seniors in NorthDakota toward isolationism and toward lignite coal development, and (2) to determine the future occupational and educational plans of high school seniors in the sampled area. A survey instrument was sent early in 1974 to all high school seniors in a…

... approval in the December 15, 1980, Federal Register (45 FR 82214). You can also find later actions... announced receipt of the proposed amendment in the February 9, 2010, Federal Register (Vol. 75, No. 26, FR... Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement 30 CFR Part 934 NorthDakota Regulatory...

... December 15, 1980, Federal Register (45 FR 82214). You can also find later actions concerning NorthDakota... to SMCRA in December 2006, and revisions made to OSM's regulations on November 14, 2008, at 73 FR... environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations.'' Section 503(a)(1) of SMCRA...

This document presents a speech delivered by Chancellor Bill Goertz at the meeting of the State Board of Higher Education last November 19, 2009. In his speech, Chancellor Goertz reports that: (1) according to a Delta Cost Project report, NorthDakota ranked among the top five states in regard to market-based productivity; (2) the Midwest Higher…

North Dakota State Employment Security Bureau, Bismarck. Employment Service Div.

The NorthDakota Employment Security Bureau provides equality of services in all programs administered by the Bureau to rural area residents throughout the State. It also provides services to agriculture, business, government, and workers in meeting their employment and manpower needs. The Supervisor of Rural Manpower Services provides supervision…

North Dakota State Employment Security Bureau, Bismarck. Employment Service Div.

One of the NorthDakota Employment Security Bureau's objectives is to provide equality of services in all programs administered by the Bureau to rural area residents throughout the State. This includes services to agriculture, business, government, and workers in meeting their employment and manpower needs. The Supervisor of Rural Manpower…

Decreasing enrollments and financial problems have led to considerable restructuring in NorthDakota schools. One form of restructuring was the creation of dual-role administrative positions combining two or all of the roles of superintendent, elementary principal, and secondary principal. In 1987, 47 of 51 administrators holding such positions…

Unstable ground in western NorthDakota is mainly the result of mass-wasting processes. The units most affected are mudstones, siltstones, and sandstones of the Fort Union Formation. Ground instability generally is indicated by landslides, soil slides, or subsidence. Landslides are mostly of the slump-earthflow type and are localized along the flanks of the high buttes in southwestern NorthDakota, including HT (Black) Butte, Chalky Buttes, Sentinel Butte, and East and West Rainy Buttes, and along parts of the valleys of the Des Lacs, Missouri, Little Missouri, and Heart Rivers. Landslides are sparse elsewhere. Soil slides are common in the areas south and southwest of the maximum position of the Pleistocene glacial ice margin on slopes of 15 degrees or more, and have taken place on some slopes as gentle as five degrees. The weathered, exposed surface of the Fort Union Formation seems to be especially susceptible to soil slides. Soil slides constitute the major type of ground instability in southwestern NorthDakota. Subsidence is of two types: (1) subsidence over old underground mine workings, and (2) subsidence over naturally ignited and burned underground coal beds. Major subsidence has taken place over old, underground workings near Beulah, Wilton, Lehigh, Haynes, and Belfield, and lesser subsidence near Scranton, and west and north of Bowman. Thickness of overburden above the coal in all these areas is believed to be less than 30 m (100 ft). Subsidence has not taken place over old underground workings along the Des Lacs and-Souris valleys northwest of Minot, where the thickness of overburden is more than 60 m (200 ft). Spectacular subsidence has occurred over a burning underground coal bed at Burning Coal Vein Park near the Little Missouri River, northwest of Amidon.

The States of Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming compose the 392,764-square-mile area of Segment 8, which is in the north-central part of the continental United States. The area varies topographically from the high rugged mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and Wyoming to the gently undulating surface of the Central Lowland in easternNorthDakota and South Dakota (fig. 1). The Black Hills in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming interrupt the uniformity of the intervening Great Plains. Segment 8 spans the Continental Divide, which is the drainage divide that separates streams that generally flow westward from those that generally flow eastward. The area of Segment 8 is drained by the following major rivers or river systems: the Green River drains southward to join the Colorado River, which ultimately discharges to the Gulf of California; the Clark Fork and the Kootenai Rivers drain generally westward by way of the Columbia River to discharge to the Pacific Ocean; the Missouri River system and the North Platte River drain eastward and southeastward to the Mississippi River, which discharges to the Gulf of Mexico; and the Red River of the North and the Souris River drain northward through Lake Winnipeg to ultimately discharge to Hudson Bay in Canada. These rivers and their tributaries are an important source of water for public-supply, domestic and commercial, agricultural, and industrial uses. Much of the surface water has long been appropriated for agricultural use, primarily irrigation, and for compliance with downstream water pacts. Reservoirs store some of the surface water for flood control, irrigation, power generation, and recreational purposes. Surface water is not always available when and where it is needed, and ground water is the only other source of supply. Ground water is obtained primarily from wells completed in unconsolidated-deposit aquifers that consist mostly of sand and gravel, and from wells

In 1978, NorthDakota State University (NDSU), in cooperation with the Economic Development Administration, completed a study of the feasibility of a vital wheat gluten starch processing plant in NorthDakota. The overall objective of this study is to determine the most feasible alternatives for utilizing the by-product starch slurry from a vital wheat gluten processing plant.

North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Based on background research and information submitted at a public hearing in Bismarck, NorthDakota, on December 13, 1991, this report addresses the extent to which Native American students are treated equally in NorthDakota special education programs. It was found that in some schools and special education units, Native American students in…

This resource guide describes the NorthDakota University System and provides information about the programs and costs of higher education in the NorthDakota system. An introduction describes the institutions in the system: two doctoral universities, one master's degree-granting university, three universities that offer bachelor's degrees and…

A review and analysis of the NorthDakota State Library program evaluates strengths and weaknesses and makes some recommendations for future action. The review includes the history and role of the NorthDakota State Library Commission as well as discussions of the state library's purposes, services, publications, resources, and lending policy. Use…

This resource guide describes the NorthDakota University System and provides information about the programs and costs of higher education in the NorthDakota system. An introduction describes the institutions in the system: two doctoral universities, one master's degree-granting university, three universities that offer bachelor's degrees and…

This report responds to a NorthDakota legislative mandate to study the state's early childhood tracking system for children who are at risk for developmental delays. Introductory sections summarize critical definitions and relevant federal legislation (specifically Part H of Public Law 99-457). The NorthDakota program is then reviewed. Nineteen…

This publication is directed toward city auditors in NorthDakota's "small towns" where the city auditor is either a volunteer or a very limited part-time position. Duties and responsibilities of the NorthDakota city auditor as provided by statute are outlined. These topics are covered: the office and general duties of city auditor; official…

Aquifer systems in the Dickinson lignite area of NorthDakota are in sandstone beds in the Fox Hills Sandstone and lower Hell Creek Formation, in the upper Hell Creek Formation and lower Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation, in the upper Ludlow and lower Tongue River Members of the Fort Union Formation, and in the upper Tongue River and the Sentinel Butte Members of the Fort Union Formation. Well yields from each of the aquifer systems generally are less than 100 gallons per minute. Water in the Fox Hills-lower Hell Creek aquifer system and in the upper Hell Creek-lower Ludlow aquifer system is soft and a sodium bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations range from 1 ,010 to 1,690 milligrams per liter. Water in the upper Ludlow-lower Tongue River aquifer system and in the upper Tongue River-Sentinel Butte aquifer system ranges from soft to very hard and generally is a sodium bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations range from 574 to 2,720 milligrams per liter. Discharges of ground water are less than 0.1 cubic foot per second to the Cannonball River and less than 1.0 cubic foot per second to the Heart River. (USGS)

Natural history writings from explorers such as M. Lewis, W. Clark, J. J. Audubon, S. F. Baird, and E. Coues failed to mention the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus ) in NorthDakota throughout the 1800's. The first published reference to the species was in the early 1900's in the valley of the Red River of the North, part of the Agassiz Lake Plain of easternNorthDakota. Sightings increased in the Agassiz Lake Plain in the mid-1900's but remained rare west of the Agassiz Lake Plain until the late 1900's. Ornithologists suggest that the species has recently established small, permanent populations in the Turtle Mountains, Devils Lake area, and along the Sheyenne River, especially in the Sheyenne National Grassland. I present information that supports the idea that the pileated woodpecker is establishing populations in the aforementioned areas and is moving even farther west. I also document the presence of the pileated woodpecker along the James River and the first record for Stutsman County.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and canola (Brassica napus L.) are major cops in NorthDakota with sugar beet production primarily in the eastern part of the state in the Red River Valley and canola production along the northern half of the state from east to west. Both crops are hosts of sugar beet ...

While many children across NorthDakota enjoy positive life circumstances which support their healthy growth and development, many others do not. This Kids Count fact book presents a statistical portrait of the condition of NorthDakota children from prenatal through adolescent stages of development, based on key indicators. These indicators…

While many children across NorthDakota enjoy positive life circumstances which support their healthy growth and development, many other children do not. This Kids Count factbook contains data on indicators intended to highlight the condition of NorthDakota children from prenatal through adolescent stages of development; these indicators include…

Lightning strike fires which occurred between 1940 and 1981 were studied in mixed-grass prairie grasslands and in pine-savanna lands in the Northern Great Plains region. A majority (73%) of ignitions occurred during July and August, while a lesser number was recorded in April, May, June, and September. The April-September period is also the average time of the freeze-free period and approximates the average distribution period for thunderstorm activity in this region. The area burned by each of 293 lightning fires (most of which were suppressed) ranged from 0.004-1158.3 ha (mean = 10.8 ha). The frequency of lightning fires in mixed-grass prairie grasslands averaged 6.0/yr per 10,000 km2 in easternNorthDakota, 22.4/yr per 10,000 km2 in southcentral NorthDakota, 24.7/yr per 10,000 km2 in western NorthDakota, and 91.7/yr per 10,000 km2 in pine-savanna lands in northwestern South Dakota and southeastern Montana. The ecological role of lightning-set fires is discussed relative to the development of resource research and management plans and to the interpretation of historical records of natural fire occurrence in the Northern Great Plains region.

... Forest Service Dakota Prairie Grasslands, NorthDakota; Oil and Gas Development Supplemental... Oil and Gas Leasing on the Little Missouri and Cedar River National Grasslands was signed. This... included a Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario (RFDS) for Oil and Gas for the Little Missouri...

Yellow woodsorrel is a perennial weed invading no-till rotations in eastern South Dakota. This study quantified the seedling emergence pattern of yellow woodsorrel across a four-year period. Yellow woodsorrel began emerging in early May and continued for 14 weeks. Approximately 80% of seedlings em...

A sample of 120 low-income families receiving food commodities in 3 eastern South Dakota counties provided a socio-demographic overview of family characteristics; tested the Culture of Poverty approach for classifying rural, low-income families; tested the homogeneity among these families; and presented implications for policy-making and program…

The NorthDakota Thunderstorm Project (NDTP) was a national scale research program conducted in central NorthDakota during June and July, 1989. The program was hosted and coordinated by the NorthDakota Atmospheric Resource Board, and funded jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State of NorthDakota, and the National Science Foundation. Data collection with four Doppler radars, six aircraft, and a variety of supporting instrumentation began 12 June 1989, and continued through 22 July 1989. In all, 106 of the nineteen various predefined experiments were conducted, though severe storms were fewer in number than expected. Several different atmospheric tracer techniques were employed, including gaseous (sulfur hexafluoride), radar chaff, natural (ozone, carbon monoxide), and fluorescent beads.

Mosaics of photographically reduced topographic maps demonstrate the Little Missouri River valley was developed by gigantic floods. Catastrophic flood landforms, oriented in a northwest-southeast direction, cross the entire Little Missouri drainage basin. Field evidence, consisting of abundant flood-deposited alluvium, supports map evidence. Flood-produced landforms, cut in easily eroded claystone bedrock, appear fresh, suggesting that floods occurred late during the last glacial cycle. Sheets of water, several hundred kilometers wide, flowed in a southeast direction, parallel with a continental ice margin. Erosion lowered the regional surface from a level corresponding to the tops of the highest present-day buttes to the surface now crossed by the headwaters of the Moreau, Grand, Cannonball, Heart, and Green Rivers. Spillway trenches served to channel flow and rapidly cut headward into easily eroded claystone. These trenches include the Moreau, Grand, Cannonball, Heart, and Missouri valleys. The Missouri valley in western NorthDakota became the dominant spillway as tributary trenches systematically cut off flow feeding competing spillways. Formation of the Little Missouri spillway, first as a north-trending valley, progressively cut off floodwaters flowing into the Heart, Cannonball, Grand, and Moreau spillways. The north end of the Little Missouri spillway also was cut off by a deeper east-trending spillway. Huge sheets of floodwater continued to pour across the divide west of the Little Missouri continuing to lower that surface. These floodwaters were cut off by development of the Yellowstone spillway in eastern Montana.

A draft environmental impact statement (EPA No. 850402D) assesses the impacts of proposed pipelines to carry carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) across public lands in Wyoming, Montana, and North and South Dakota. The preferred alternative would be 751.5 miles long and parallel other pipelines or roads for more than half the distance. The study describes ancillary facilities that each of the oil companies participating in the project would use. Increased oil and gas production, a rise in local property taxes, and employment opportunities would be the major benefits. The disturbance of sensitive soils would require extra rehabilitation efforts and degrade some visual resources. There would be a short-term loss of habitat, but no significant loss of animals. Several laws addressing antiquities, water pollution, land management, and mineral leasing require the impact statement.

Oil exploration on the Billings anticline began in earnest in 1978, which is a north-plunging structure in the north central part of southwestern NorthDakota. Forty-two fields are included in the Billings anticline area. This paper discusses the following features of the Billings anticline: structure, lithology, Duperow production, and some conservative economic scenarios.

To investigate arbovirus transmission in NorthDakota, we collected and screened mosquitoes for viral infection by Vero cell culture assay. Seven viruses were isolated from 13 mosquito species. Spatial and temporal distributions of the important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV), Cache Valley virus, Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), and trivittatus virus are reported. Snowshoe hare virus, Potosi virus, and western equine encephalomyelitis virus were also isolated. The risks of Culex tarsalis and Aedes vexans transmitting WNV to humans were 61.4% and 34.0% in 2003–2006, respectively, but in 2003 when the largest epidemic was reported, risks for Ae. vexans and Cx. tarsalis in Cass County were 73.6% and 23.9%, respectively. Risk of humans acquiring an infectious bite was greatest from about the second week of July through most of August. West Nile virus sequences were of the WN02 genotype. Most JCV strains belonged to a single clade of genetically related strains. Cache Valley virus and JCV were prevalent during August and early September and during July and August, respectively. PMID:25487728

The 3-km-diameter Newporte structure is located close to the USA - Canada border in NorthDakota, in the Williston Basin. The structure is currently covered by about 3 km of various supracrustal rock formations and was first studied in the course of hydrocarbon exploration in the late 1970s. The structure is situated in Precambrian crystalline basement, which is highly fractured and brecciated. Detailed petrographic and geochemical studies of rock samples from the Duerre 43-5, the Mott 14-34, and the Wisdahl 23 -10 drill cores show the presence of three types of breccias: a mainly granite-derived breccia, a predominantly (meta) sediment-derived breccia, and a mixed breccia type. Quartz grains (as well as a few rare feldspar grains) from all three breccia types show planar deformation features (PDFs) with up to five sets per grain. Measurements of the crystallographic orientations of the PDFs show predominantly (10{bar 1}3) ({omega}) and (10{bar 1}2) ({pi}) orientations, which are characteristic of shock metamorphism and indicate peak shock pressures in excess of 12 GPa. The major and trace element composition of the target rocks (granitoid and sedimentary rocks) and the fragmental impact breccias was measured. All three rock types (sediments, granitoids, and breccias) show a wide compositional range. Mixing calculations were performed and yield results and are in general agreement with the petrographic observations, but the compositional similarity of the target rock components and their wide range in chemical composition make unambiguous mixing calculations difficult. The results of our study confirm the impact origin of the Newporte structure. 43 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs.

More than a decade ago the manner in which the NorthDakota educational community related to the state legislature changed suddenly and dramatically. The NorthDakota School Boards Association (NDSBA) employed a new executive director. Administrators in the state created a new entity, the NorthDakota Council of School Administrators (NDCSA), and…

The northern limit of the blue grosbeak's (Guiraca caerulea) breeding distribution occurs in southern NorthDakota. Records of the blue grosbeak in NorthDakota are uncommon. Here, I report my observation of a blue grosbeak at a site where the species was recorded 25 years earlier. A summary of the species' distribution and records in NorthDakota are provided.

A study to determine the major factors limiting duck nesting and production on intensively farmed areas in easternNorthDakota was conducted from 1969 through 1974. A total of 186 duck nests was found during searches on 6,018 ha of upland. Nest density per km2 for 5 major habitat types was 20.2 in untilled upland, 3.7 in standing grain stubble, 1.6 in mulched grain stubble, 1.2 in summer fallow, and 1.1 in growing grain. Pintails (Anas acuta) nested in cultivated cropland types in greater prevalence than other duck species. Nest densities were 12 times greater on untilled upland (20.2/km2) than on annually tilled cropland (1.7/km2), and hatched-clutch densities were 16 times greater on untilled upland (4.8/km2) than on annually tilled cropland (0.3/km2). Hatching success was greater on untilled upland (25%) than on tilled cropland (17%). Of 186 nests found, 77 percent did not hatch; 76 percent of the failures were attributed to predators and 19 percent to farming operations. Poor quality nesting cover, the result of intensive land use practices, and nesting failures caused by machinery and predators mainly mammals, were the principal factors limiting duck nesting and production on intensively farmed areas.

Systematic aerial searches were flown on transects to locate adult red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), pups, and rearing dens on 559.4 km2 (six townships) in easternNorthDakota during mid-May and mid-June each year from 1969 through 1973 and during mid-April 1969 and early May 1970. The combined sightings of foxes and fox dens from the mid-May and mid-June searches were used to identify individual fox families. The number of fox families was used as the measurement of density. Dens, highly visible during the mid-May searches, were the most reliable family indicator; 84 percent of 270 families identified during the study were represented by dens. Adult foxes second in importance, were most observable during the mid-May searches when 20 to 35 percent of those estimated to be available were sighted. Adult sightings during other search periods ranged from 4 to 17 percent of those available. Pup sightings were the most variable family indicator, but they led to the discovery of some dens. Sources of error for which adjustment factors were determined are: den moves exceeding criterion established for the spacing of dens in a single family, overestimation of the number of fox families living near township boundaries, and the percentage of fox families overlooked during the aerial searches. These adjustment factors appeared to be largely compensatory.

The NorthDakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) consists of 72 automated weather stations spread across agricultural locations of NorthDakota, the Red River Valley, and border regions of surrounding states. The NDAWN Center is a part of the Department of Soil Science, NorthDakota State University. The NDAWN stations measure wind speed and direction, air temperature, rainfall, solar radiation, pressure (31 stations), atmospheric moisture and soil temperatures under bare and turf at 10 cm (4 inch) depth. The center provides daily summaries consisting of maximums and minimums as well as time of occurrence, and various totals or averages for all variables in English or metric units. Measured and calculated variables along with complete descriptions are available. The NDAWN Center web site: http://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu/ allows direct access to NDAWN data in various special and temporal scales. The voice modem accommodates those who do not have internet access. The NDAWN Center has assisted many North Dakotans in making weather critical decisions concerning their crops, livestock, and livelihood. The stations provide weather data, which was instrumental in developing various agricultural models including but not limited to the late blight model, degree day and growth stage models for barley, corn, canola, potato, sugarbeet, sunflower, wheat and other small grains, irrigation scheduling, crop water use, sugarbeet root maggot, and insect development models. Late blight model, for example, predicts when leaf disease can occur in potato plants. Late blight doesn't occur in NorthDakota every year and is prevalent during cool and moist periods of weather. In 1993-94, this model predicted that late blight would occur and growers were able to use fungicide applications to prevent the disease. Another direct benefit of NDAWN data is that it provides universities and the National Weather Service with an additional database for research and forecasting applications

The presence or absence of the biting midge, Culicoides sonorensis, a primary vector of bluetongue viruses (BTV) in North America, was assessed on ranches and farms across the north-central region of the United States (U.S.), specifically the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, and NorthDakota, as pa...

Flooding of some roads and agricultural lands has occurred in the Lake Nettie area of eastern McLean County. Part of the flooding was caused by the raising of the level of Lake Audubon to an elevation of 1,848 feet and the construction and filling of the McClusky Canal. Water levels have risen in the Lake Nettie aquifer as a result of raising the level of Lake Audubon. As of 1982, water levels have risen as much as 4 feet in the lower unit of the Lake Nettie aquifer and between 1 and 2 feet in the upper unit of the Lake Nettie aquifer, which is hydraulically connected to Lake Nettie and Crooked Lake. Water levels have risen in the Turtle Lake aquifer both as a result of raising the water level in Lake Audubon and the filling of McClusky Canal. Water levels have risen as much as 6 feet near the canal, but generally are less than 1 foot higher at distances of about 0.5 mile. (USGS)

The 2012 NorthDakota transgenic field trials consisted of 23 barley lines, tested in three misted and three non-misted replicates. Plots were sown on May 9, 2012 in hill plots with 10 seed per hill spaced at 30 cm, and all plots were inoculated using the grain spawn method at heading. Lines include...

This report presents existing workforce levels, training programs and career potentials and develops staffing level projections (1976-1982) based on available information for the State of NorthDakota. The study concerns itself with the environmental pollution control areas of air, noise, potable water, pesticides, radiation, solid waste,…

Effective leadership is critical for communities as they work to maintain their vitality and sustainability for years to come. The purpose of the study reported here was to assess confidence levels and community engagement of community leadership program participants in NorthDakota State University Extension programs. Through a survey…

Cass County comprises an area of 1,749 square miles in the southeastern corner of NorthDakota. About one-fourth of the county is in the Drift Prairie physiographic province; the rest is in the Red River Valley (Lake Agassiz basin) physiographic division.

North Dakota State Board for Vocational-Technical Education, Bismarck.

This performance report for program year 1994 outlines the accomplishments and benefits to individuals in NorthDakota as a result of programs funded by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990, PL 101-392. The report records enrollment information, projects conducted, accomplishments, and future needs for the…

In order to attain a better understanding of the data processing manpower needs of business and industry, a survey instrument was designed and mailed to 570 known and possible computer installations in the Minnesota/NorthDakota area. The survey was conducted during the spring of 1975, and concentrated on the kinds of equipment and computer…

This individual profile provides information on NorthDakota's college entrance exam standards and polices. Some of the categories presented include: (1) College entrance exam policy; (2) Purpose; (3) Major changes in college entrance exam policy since the 2009-10 school year for financial reasons; (4) Preparation state offers to students taking…

... Federal Highway Administration Environmental Impact Statement: Billings County, NorthDakota AGENCY... this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed... an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed roadway project and river crossing over...

North Dakota State Employment Security Bureau, Bismarck. Employment Service Div.

The Rural Manpower Service's objective is to provide the State's rural people "equity of access" to all programs administered by the NorthDakota Employment Security Bureau. It provides services to agriculture, business, government, and workers in meeting their employment and manpower needs. Functional supervision and direction to the program are…

This report presents data on enrollment in the NorthDakota University System for the fall of 1996. Data are presented in 18 tables and two figures. After an introductory section, which includes definitions and institutional abbreviations, the tables provide information on: (1) headcount enrollment; (2) full-time (FT) enrollments; (3) total…

This package consists of eight booklets dealing with competency-based vocational education (CBVE). The first booklet is a brochure outlining CBVE in NorthDakota. The second booklet, an instructional unit written for vocational education teachers, deals with the characteristics and components of mastery learning and competency-based instruction.…

A descriptive account of the diverse experiences and reactions, both positive and negative, of a resource teacher for a Follow Through Program at an Indian elementary school in Fort Yates, NorthDakota, and her attempts to promote teacher cooperation and engender local involvement in the school. (EH)

Food insecurity is associated with having lower dietary quality and an increased BMI. The barriers individuals face in rural NorthDakota to receiving food assistance are largely unknown. A partnership of community agencies and researcher conducted focus groups with food assistance providers (those ...

The Farm Management Education Program in NorthDakota has developed since 1969; undergraduate Adult Education courses in several Departments of Agricultural Education now devote substantial time to management, while a two-year research and development project has produced a coordinated analysis and interpretation system and provided assistance to…

... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NorthDakota Disaster ND-00025 AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ] ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This is a Notice of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance...

At NorthDakota State University, only 10 of 156 full professors are female. This places the university near the bottom of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)'s report ranking 1,445 institutions on the basis of what proportion of their tenured faculty members are female. At a time when recruiting women has become a top…

Geology of the asymmetrical, northwest-trending Cedar Creek anticline, a major oil- and gas-producing structure of the Williston basin, was mapped in the Wibaux and Glendive Quadrangles as part of the USGS-funded Coal Lands Mapping Program. Thinning of stratigraphic units, unconformities, and relationships between tectonic structures provide suggestive evidence for the timing of Late Cretaceous and Tertiary uplift in this area. The Colgate Member of the Fox Hills Formation (Maestrichtian) pinches out toward the axis of the anticline. The contact between the Hell Creek Formation (Maestrichtian) and the underlying Colgate Member is disconformable near the axis of the anticline and becomes conformable about 8 km (5 mi) east of it. This suggests Late Cretaceous uplift during or after deposition of the Colgate Member. The Hell Creek Formation also thins by up to 40 m (131.2 ft) toward the axis. Part of the Fort Union Formation is not present on the eastern limb of the anticline and in an area southwest of the anticline, suggesting that these areas were uplifted at the time of or just following deposition of this part of the section during the middle Paleocene. The present anticline developed following deposition of the Fort Union Formation in the late Paleocene. Several associated faults and folds developed subparallel to the axial trend, including a pronounced synclinal flexure along much of the western limb of the anticline. Subsequently, northeast-trending faults with a component of right-lateral slip offset the northwest-trending linear features associated with the anticline.

This Kids Count report details statewide trends in the well-being of NorthDakota's children. The statistical report is based on indicators of child well-being in six areas: (1) family composition, including foster care placement; (2) economic conditions, including children in near or extreme poverty; (3) child health, including low birthweight,…

Coral faunas studied from subsurface cores of the Mississippian Madison Group in the Williston Basin of NorthDakota indicate that Sando's coral zones for outcrops in western North America can be extended into the subsurface of NorthDakota. Coral zones II and III are recognized as corresponding roughly to lower and upper Mission Canyon strata, respectively. These data were obtained from 12 wells along the northern border of NorthDakota in Divide, Burke, Renville, and Bottineau Counties, and two wells near the center of Williston basin in Dunn and McKenzie Counties. Corals found in dark argillaceous crinoid-skeletal wackestones representing deeper waters are robust, and this may infer a hospitable environment for their growth. However, evidence from the coral and lithologic associations refute the pervading dogma that the occurrence of corals is strictly facies controlled. Abundant smaller corals have been found from buff-colored skeletal wackestones and algal mudstones which alternate with subaqueous anhydrites representing a marginal marine environment. In addition, corals have been found in buff-colored skeletal and peloidal grainstones of adjacent shoals and in brown pisolitic-oolitic packstones-wackestones of possible tidal ponds. These latter deposits may represent allochthonous accumulations, but the amount of time involved in transport of corals would not invalidate their usefulness as biostratigraphic tools.

Availability of emergency preparedness funding between 2002 and 2009 allowed the NorthDakota Department of Health to build public health response capabilities. Five of the 15 public health preparedness capability areas identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011 have been thoroughly tested by responses to flooding in NorthDakota in 2009, 2010, and 2011; those capability areas are information sharing, emergency operations coordination, medical surge, material management and distribution, and volunteer management. Increasing response effectiveness has depended on planning, implementation of new information technology, changes to command and control procedures, containerized response materials, and rapid contract procedures. Continued improvement in response and maintenance of response capabilities is dependent on ongoing funding. PMID:23348522

Project kickoff meetings were held this period. One meeting was held at the University of NorthDakota (UND) for team members, and a second meeting was held at National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) as part of a kickoff for the Cofiring Program under the Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office. The project is currently involved in the resource assessment task and is finding some promising fuels.

Post-fledging activities of 18 Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) were studied in southcentral NorthDakota during July and August 1979. The post-fledging period ranged from 10 to 40 d (mean = 23.1 d; N = 16). Haylands and native prairie grasslands were the principal land use types utilized by fledglings and adults. Mortality of young during post-fledging was 11% (N = 2).

Stomach contents of 70 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) shot in east-central NorthDakota during January 1982 and January 1983 were examined. Commercial sunflower seeds were the most frequently found food item, occurring each year in three-fourths of the stomachs and composing about half of the contents. The remainder of the diet was primarily mammals, but included birds, insects, amphibians, and refuse.

The rapid rise of unconventional oil production during the past decade in the Bakken region of NorthDakota raises concerns related to water contamination associated with the accidental release of oil and gas wastewater to the environment. Here, we characterize the major and trace element chemistry and isotopic ratios ((87)Sr/(86)Sr, δ(18)O, δ(2)H) of surface waters (n = 29) in areas impacted by oil and gas wastewater spills in the Bakken region of NorthDakota. We establish geochemical and isotopic tracers that can identify Bakken brine spills in the environment. In addition to elevated concentrations of dissolved salts (Na, Cl, Br), spill waters also consisted of elevated concentrations of other contaminants (Se, V, Pb, NH4) compared to background waters, and soil and sediment in spill sites had elevated total radium activities ((228)Ra + (226)Ra) relative to background, indicating accumulation of Ra in impacted soil and sediment. We observed that inorganic contamination associated with brine spills in NorthDakota is remarkably persistent, with elevated levels of contaminants observed in spills sites up to 4 years following the spill events. PMID:27119384

... proposed rule published January 29, 2013 (78 FR 6062), is reopened. We will accept written comments on this... the December 15, 1980 Federal Register (45 FR 82214). You can also find later actions concerning North... proposed amendment in the January 29, 2013 Federal Register (78 FR 6062; Administrative Record No....

The single most important factor that will determine the success of NorthDakota will be its human capital. The primary developer and source of that capital is the University System. This brochure describes the NorthDakota University System's requests in parity and equity funding. It also describes the System's activities that contribute to the…

This study examines the information sources used by practicing rural physicians in NorthDakota to keep current with new information in their area of specialty. The hypotheses tested were: (1) there are more male than female rural practitioners in NorthDakota; (2) rural physicians depend on printed material to fulfill regular need for information…

...The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of NorthDakota on April 6, 2009. Specifically, EPA is proposing approval of revisions to the NorthDakota air pollution control rules regarding prevention of significant deterioration of air quality, and partial approval of the SIP revision ``Interstate Transport of Air......

The Biennial Report presents a summary of programs and services provided by the NorthDakota Department of Public Instruction for 2007-2009. The State Superintendent notes that while NorthDakota's education system is good, slippage in test scores is occurring, cracks in the education system are developing and some students are falling through…

Staff members of the NorthDakota Department of Public Instruction have partnered with members of the P-16 Education Task Force, and support the various principles developed by task force members. The task force was initiated by the joint boards on public education in September of 2005 whose vision is "All NorthDakota students will be educated in…

More than two dozen NorthDakota K-12 schools begin each academic year with a school counselor designate because of state mandates for services in each building and a lack of qualified applicants to provide these services. School counselor designates are individuals who hold a NorthDakota professional educator's license, have completed a minimum…

Many rural NorthDakota communities struggle with the loss of services, schools, and population due to a changing landscape, but does a strong sense of community help anchor residents to their town? The purpose of this study was to describe sense of community and its relationship to actions promoting social capital in rural NorthDakota towns.…

A four-part study conducted during 1987-88 examined transfer among public institutions of higher education in NorthDakota to assess the impact of the transfer process on college students. Focus was on the process of transferring credits from one public NorthDakota campus to another and also on the opinions of the transfer students. The four…

In response to citizens' need and right to know about how NorthDakota students perform in mathematics, the Department of Public Instruction and the NorthDakota Council of Teachers of Mathematics administered a criterion-referenced mathematics assessment in grades 4 (1,298 students) and 8 (1,475 students). Also included were items from the…

The report consists of a map (scale 1:500,000) that shows the linear features determined from Landsat imagery in NorthDakota. The linear features, sometimes called linear trends or lineaments, are not identified as to type or origin. Most probably represent fractures or fracture zones, which may affect the movement of water or other fluids through the rocks. The linear features are classified as to length--less than 30 miles, 30 to 200 miles, 200 to 500 miles, and more than 500 miles. (USGS)

Necropsies and observations of captive and radio-equipped individuals provided reproductive data from a raccoon population in the northern prairies. The mean parturition date of adult females was 8 May and the mean litter size was 4.8. Only two of the 14 yearling females examined prior to 1 July were pregnant; they had estimated parturition dates of 20 May and 22 June. Penes of most yearling males became extrusible in July or August. Testes weights and sperm smears suggest that yearling males in NorthDakota are not reproductively active. Reproductive patterns of raccoons near the northern periphery of their range and those at lower latitudes are compared and discussed.

Division of fracture traces in sedimentary rocks of Cenozoic to Precambrian Age - Eastern and central North and South Dakota and northern Nebraska include only Cenozoic to Pennsylvanian rocks at the surface and at relatively shallow depths; the area of shallow thrust faulting in north-central Montana includes many Cretaceous rocks. Fractures in the deeper rocks in these areas vary, depending on the local structure. Large areas of western Montana are underlain by Precambrian sedimentary rocks.

...EPA is approving revisions to the NorthDakota State Implementation Plan (SIP) that the Governor of NorthDakota submitted with a letter dated April 6, 2009. The revisions affect NorthDakota's air pollution control rules regarding general provisions (including rules regarding shutdowns and malfunctions), ambient air quality standards, emissions of particulate matter, permitting, and fees. In......

...EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the NorthDakota State Implementation Plan that the Governor of NorthDakota submitted with a letter dated April 6, 2009. The revisions affect NorthDakota's air pollution control rules regarding general provisions (including rules regarding shutdowns and malfunctions), ambient air quality standards, emissions of particulate matter, permitting, and......

Scant attention has been paid to Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ixodes scapularis, or reservoirs in easternNorthDakota despite the fact that it borders high-risk counties in Minnesota. Recent reports of B. burgdorferi and I. scapularis in NorthDakota, however, prompted a more detailed examination. Spirochetes cultured from the hearts of five rodents trapped in Grand Forks County, ND, were identified as B. burgdorferi sensu lato through sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, the 16S rRNA gene-ileT intergenic spacer region, flaB, ospA, ospC, and p66. OspC typing revealed the presence of groups A, B, E, F, L, and I. Two rodents were concurrently carrying multiple OspC types. Multilocus sequence typing suggested the easternNorthDakota strains are most closely related to those found in neighboring regions of the upper Midwest and Canada. BALB/c mice were infected with B. burgdorferi isolate M3 (OspC group B) by needle inoculation or tick bite. Tibiotarsal joints and ear pinnae were culture positive, and B. burgdorferi M3 was detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the tibiotarsal joints, hearts, and ear pinnae of infected mice. Uninfected larval I. scapularis ticks were able to acquire B. burgdorferi M3 from infected mice; M3 was maintained in I. scapularis during the molt from larva to nymph; and further, M3 was transmitted from infected I. scapularis nymphs to naive mice, as evidenced by cultures and qPCR analyses. These results demonstrate that isolate M3 is capable of disseminated infection by both artificial and natural routes of infection. This study confirms the presence of unique (nonclonal) and infectious B. burgdorferi populations in easternNorthDakota. PMID:25304515

The EERC is undertaking a research and development program on carbon development, part of which is directed towards investigating the key parameters in the preparation of activated carbons from low-rank coals indigenous to NorthDakota. Carbons have been prepared and characterized for potential sorption applications in flue gas and waste liquid streams. Lignite, owing to its wide occurrence and variability in properties, has received significant attention as a precursor of active carbon manufacture. Mineral matter content and its alkaline nature are two highly variable properties that can have important consequences on the production of suitable activated carbons. Other factors affecting the production include carbonizing conditions, the activation agents, activation temperature, and activation time. However, as previously noted, the relationship between the above factors and the sorption activity is particularly complex. Part of the difficulty is that sorption activity encompasses at least three parameters, namely, surface area, pore distribution, and surface acidity/basicity. The presence of mineral matter in the coal can affect not only carbonization but also the activation and subsequent sorption and desorption processes. This paper presents results of an investigation of demineralization, carbonization temperature, activation temperature, and activation time for one lignite and leonardite from NorthDakota.

Labeling errors made in the large area crop inventory experiment transition year estimates by Earth Observation Division image analysts are identified and quantified. The analysis was made from a subset of blind sites in six U.S. Great Plains states (Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, Minnesota, North and South Dakota). The image interpretation basically was well done, resulting in a total omission error rate of 24 percent and a commission error rate of 4 percent. The largest amount of error was caused by factors beyond the control of the analysts who were following the interpretation procedures. The odd signatures, the largest error cause group, occurred mostly in areas of moisture abnormality. Multicrop labeling was tabulated showing the distribution of labeling for all crops.

Results of this study of the macrofossils of the Bakken Formation in NorthDakota have reinforced the suggestion, based on previous paleontological work in Saskatchewan, that the Bakken is of both Devonian and Mississippian age, rather than being entirely of Lower Mississippian age as originally considered. Increased drilling and coring activity in the NorthDakota part of the Williston Basin has provided the opportunity for acquiring a larger fauna that was previously available. Based on lithologic character, the Bakken has been divided into three informal members. These consist of a calcareous siltstone unit between two lithologically similar units of carbonaceous shale. These black shales contain similar faunas distinct from that of the middle member. The black shales contain inarticulate brachiopods, conchostracans, and rare cephalopods and fish remains as well as more abundant conodonts, ostracods, and palynomorphs. The middle siltstone unit contains a more abundant and diverse fauna consisting of inarticulate and articulate brachiopods together with corals, gastropods, cephalopods, ostracods, echinoderm remains, and trace fossils. This is the first report of cephalopods, conchostracans, ostracods, corals, trace fossils, and some of the brachiopods in the Bakken, although all, except the gastropods, have been reported from stratigraphic equivalents (Exshaw Formation of south-central Montana, the Leatham Formation of northeastern Utah, and the middle member of the Pilot Shale in western Utah and eastern Nevada).

The southern Williston basin, which underlies about 110,000 square miles #n NorthDakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana, is part of a large structural and sedimentary basin. Its surface is a flat to gently rolling plain, standing about 1,500 to 3,500 feet above sea level and locally studded by a few high buttes. The sedimentary sequence that fills the basin has a maximum thickness of about 16,700 feet and rests on Precambrian metamorphic rocks at depths of 500 to 13,900 feet below sea level. It contains rocks of every geologic system, from Cambrian to Quaternary. Rocks of Middle Cambrian through Middle Ordovician age are largely shale and sandstone, as much as 1,200 feet thick; rocks of Late Ordovician through Pennsylvanian age are largely limestone and dolomite, as much as 7,500 feet thick; and rocks of Permian through Tertiary age are predominantly shale and siltstone, as much as 8,000 feet thick. Pleistocene glacial drift mantles the northern and eastern parts of the area. Rocks of the Williston basin are gently folded and regional dips are 1? or less from the margins to the basin center. Dips on the flanks of the major anticlinal folds, the Nesson and cedar Creek anticlines and the Poplar and Bowdoin domes, generally are about 1? to 3? except on the steep west limb of the Cedar Creek anticline. The basin was shaped by Laramide orogeny during latest Cretaceous and early Tertiary time. Most of the present structural features, however, were initiated during the Precambrian and reactivated by several subsequent orogenies, of which the latest was the Laramide. The most important mineral resource of the area is oil, which is produced predominantly from the Paleozoic carbonate sequence and largely on three of the major anticlinal folds, and lignite, which is present near the surface in Paleocene rocks. The subsurface disposal of radioactive wastes at some places in the Williston basin appears to be geographically and geologically feasible. Many sites, at which

The aquatic Coleoptera of a prairie wetland complex in Stutsman County, NorthDakota, were collected from April 1979 to November 1980. Identification of 2594 individuals confirmed 57 species, including seven new records for NorthDakota. Two seasonally flooded and two semipermanent wetlands, totaling 7.43 ha, contained 53% of the Dytiscidae, 43% of the Haliplidae, 38% of the Hydrophilidae, and 22% of the Gyrinidae species previously identified from NorthDakota. Although 49.1% of the Coleoptera species occurred in both types of wetlands, the occurrence of 29 species varied by wetland class.

This collection of eight papers and six "data squibs" (short research findings) are based on topics and languages under study by students and staff of the linguistics program of the University of NorthDakota. The papers are: (1) "Dakota Sioux Objects" (Thomas M. Pinson); (2) "The Tapir: A Yanomami Text" (Irma Thiele); (3) "One Less Crazy Rule"…

Small Wind Electric Systems: A NorthDakota Consumer's Guide provides consumers with information to help them determine whether a small wind electric system can provide all or a portion of the energy they need for their home or business based on their wind resource, energy needs, and economics. Topics include how to make a home more energy efficient, how to choose the correct turbine size, the parts of a wind electric system, how to determine whether enough wind resource exists, how to choose the best site for a turbine, how to connect a system to the utility grid, and whether it's possible to become independent of the utility grid using wind energy. In addition, the cover of the guide contains a list of contacts for more information.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has pursued a research program for producing activated carbon from NorthDakota lignite that can be competitive with commercial-grade activated carbon. As part of this effort, small-scale production of activated carbon was produced from Fort Union lignite. A conceptual design of a commercial activated carbon production plant was drawn, and a market assessment was performed to determine likely revenue streams for the produced carbon. Activated carbon was produced from lignite coal in both laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactors and in a small pilot-scale rotary kiln. The EERC was successfully able to upgrade the laboratory-scale activated carbon production system to a pilot-scale rotary kiln system. The activated carbon produced from NorthDakota lignite was superior to commercial grade DARCO{reg_sign} FGD and Rheinbraun's HOK activated coke product with respect to iodine number. The iodine number of NorthDakota lignite-derived activated carbon was between 600 and 800 mg I{sub 2}/g, whereas the iodine number of DARCO FGD was between 500 and 600 mg I{sub 2}/g, and the iodine number of Rheinbraun's HOK activated coke product was around 275 mg I{sub 2}/g. The EERC performed both bench-scale and pilot-scale mercury capture tests using the activated carbon made under various optimization process conditions. For comparison, the mercury capture capability of commercial DARCO FGD was also tested. The lab-scale apparatus is a thin fixed-bed mercury-screening system, which has been used by the EERC for many mercury capture screen tests. The pilot-scale systems included two combustion units, both equipped with an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Activated carbons were also tested in a slipstream baghouse at a Texas power plant. The results indicated that the activated carbon produced from NorthDakota lignite coal is capable of removing mercury from flue gas. The tests showed that activated carbon with the greatest iodine number

High productivity and survival of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were correlated with high rainfall and cool temperatures in May and June during an 8-year period in southwestern NorthDakota. These findings differed markedly from those of several earlier studies in the less arid midwestern United States where cool, wet weather in the spring generally affected pheasant populations adversely. General trends in the pheasant population could be explained on the basis of precipitation in May and June. The population was relatively high during the mid-1950's when wet and dry May and June periods occurred in alternate years but declined markedly after 2 consecutive years of spring and summer drought. The population remained at a static low during 1960 through 1963 when wet and dry spring and summer periods again occurred alternately.

In order to develop critical data for Department of Energy (DOE) and private industry for advanced high-efficiency power systems using NorthDakota lignite in pressurized gasification and combustion systems, tests were performed in bench-scale equipment at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC). The primary objectives were to (1) determine the conversion levels for Center ND lignite under pressurized fluid-bed gasification conditions with sorbent addition as a function of temperature, (2) determine the sulfur capture using limestone or dolomite under gasification conditions giving 90% or higher carbon conversion, (3) evaluate char/coal conversion and sulfur capture in a pressurized fluid-bed combustor, (4) assess the potential for bed agglomeration under the preferred operating conditions for both systems.

Nocturnal activity and foraging of 39 radio-equipped raccoons (Procyon lotor) in easternNorthDakota were studied from April-July in 1974-1976. Sixteen of the raccoons were collected after foraging bouts for stomach content analysis. Raccoon activity consisted of running (13%), walking (49%) and local movement in confined areas (38%). Local movement was foraging on large or locally abundant food items. Adult males traveled farther in a night, ran twice as often, and moved locally only half as often as adult females and yearlings. Differences in activity patterns between adult females and yearlings were not detected. There was no difference among age-sex groups in use of foraging habitats. All raccoons foraged extensively in farmyards and wetlands. Stomach content analysis substantiated foraging determinations obtained by radiotelemetry. Principal foods were grain, aquatic animals, rodents, birds and bird eggs.

The Dakota (Design Analysis Kit for Optimization and Terascale Applications) toolkit provides a exible and extensible interface between simulation codes and iterative analysis methods. Dakota contains algorithms for optimization with gradient and nongradient-based methods; uncertainty quanti cation with sampling, reliability, and stochastic expansion methods; parameter estimation with nonlinear least squares methods; and sensitivity/variance analysis with design of experiments and parameter study methods. These capabilities may be used on their own or as components within advanced strategies such as surrogate-based optimization, mixed integer nonlinear programming, or optimization under uncertainty. By employing object-oriented design to implement abstractions of the key components required for iterative systems analyses, the Dakota toolkit provides a exible and extensible problem-solving environment for design and performance analysis of computational models on high performance computers. This report serves as a theoretical manual for selected algorithms implemented within the Dakota software. It is not intended as a comprehensive theoretical treatment, since a number of existing texts cover general optimization theory, statistical analysis, and other introductory topics. Rather, this manual is intended to summarize a set of Dakota-related research publications in the areas of surrogate-based optimization, uncertainty quanti cation, and optimization under uncertainty that provide the foundation for many of Dakota's iterative analysis capabilities.

In 2009, record-breaking snowfalls and additional spring moisture caused severe flooding in parts of the Missouri River and Red River of the North (Red River) Basins in NorthDakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. There were 48 peak of record stages and 36 discharges recorded at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages located in both basins between March 20 and May 15, 2009. High water continued to affect many communities up and down the rivers' main stems and tributaries for nearly 2 months. Record snowfall for single-day totals, as well as monthly totals, occurred throughout the Missouri River and Red River of the North Basins. Additional moisture in the spring as well as the timing of warmer temperatures caused record flooding in many places in both basins with many locations reporting two flood crests. Ice jams on the Missouri River, located north and south of Bismarck, N. Dak., caused flooding. Southwest Bismarck was evacuated as rising waters first began inundating homes in low-lying areas along the river and then continued flowing into the city's lower south side. On March 24, 2009, the peak stage of the Missouri River at Bismarck, N. Dak. streamgage was 16.11 feet, which was the highest recorded stage since the completion of Garrison Dam in 1954. South of Bismarck, the Missouri River near Schmidt, N. Dak. streamgage recorded a peak stage of 24.24 feet on March 25, 2009, which surpassed the peak of record of 23.56 feet that occurred on December 9, 1976. While peak stage reached record levels at these streamgages, the discharge through the river at these locations did not reach record levels. The record high stages resulted from ice jams occurring on the Missouri River north and south of the cities of Bismarck and Mandan. At the Red River of the North at Fargo, N. Dak. streamgage, the Red River reached a record stage of 40.84 feet surpassing the previous peak of record stage of 39.72 feet set in 1997. The associated peak streamflow of 29,500 cubic feet per second

The NorthDakota State Briefing Book is one of a series of state briefing books on low-level radioactive waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist state and federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste disposal. The report contains a profile of low-level radioactive waste generators in NorthDakota. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in NorthDakota. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in NorthDakota.

Harmonia axyridis, a coccinellid native to Asia, was discovered in South Dakota in 1996, but its distribution and habitat use in the state had remained undetermined. We sampled coccinellids from various habitats, including agricultural and natural areas, in eastern and central South Dakota in 2000 a...

Interest in the Mississippian Lodgepole formation of NorthDakota has intensified since the successful completion of the Duncan Oil Inc. 1-11 Knopik flowing 2,707 b/d of oil and 1.55 MMcfd of gas 430 cu m of oil and 43,891 cu m of gas. The play began when Conoco drilled an in-field wildcat in an attempt to establish deeper production in Dickinson oil field. The discovery well, 74 Dickinson State, was completed in a clean lower Lodgepole limestone section that is thought to represent a Waulsortian mound. The most important questions asked concerning the Lodgepole play are whether or not it will step out of the Dickinson area, what are the factors that control the development of these mounds, what controlled the development of the reservoir and trap, and how it was charged with oil. Other than the reservoir section, the most significant feature observed from wireline logs of the area is the anomalously thick Bakken formation (Mississippian-Devonian). This observation is important to understanding the Lodgepole play and can be used to help explore for similar features elsewhere in the basin. The paper describes the regional setting, the Lodgepole stratigraphy, deposition, regional equivalents, and a salt collapse model that can readily explain the features observed at the Dickinson field.

The Newporte field is located just south of the United States-Canada border in Renville County, NorthDakota, in the north-central portion of the Williston basin. Integration of seismic, well-log, and core data supports the interpretation of an impact origin for the Newporte structure. The structure involves both Precambrian basement and lower Paleozoic sedimentary units. Oil and gas production began in 1977 from brecciated basement rocks along the rim of the 3.2-km-diameter circular structure. Both well logs and seismic data were used to determine thickness changes of sedimentary units overlying the structure. Resulting isopach maps reveal a circular, bowl-shaped feature with a recognizable rim. Microscopic shock metamorphic features in quartz and feldspar are visible in basement clasts that form a mixed breccia with Cambrian Deadwood sandstone within the western rim of the structure. A Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician age is suggested for the structure because of the presence of flatlying Deadwood sandstone overlying mixed basement/sandstone breccia along portions of the rim. Identification of the Newporte structure as an impact crater adds to the growing base of evidence revealing the relevance of impact craters to petroleum exploration.

Operation of the Garrison Diversion Unit may have some affect on the hydrology of the James River in NorthDakota and South Dakota. The Garrison Diversion Unit Monthly Operations Model was developed to analyze a wide range of streamflow conditions that could occur in the James River Basin. The purpose of this study was to compute monthly streamflows that are required as input to the model. Historic stream flow data were complied and record extension methods were used, when necessary, to compute monthly streamflow for 1983-91 for 15 gaging stations on the James River in NorthDakota and South Dakota. The record extension methods used include Maintenance of Variance Extension Type 1, Ordinary Least Squares, and drainage-area ratio. In addition to the historic streamflow, synthesized unregulated streamflow was computed for the 15 gaging stations on the James River for 1983-91 by eliminating the effects of Jamestown Reservoir, Pipestem Reservoir, Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, consumptive surface-water withdrawals, and wastewater withdrawals. Maintenance of Variance Extension Type 1, Ordinary Least Squares regression, water-balance procedures, and drainage-area ratio method were used to compute the unregulated streamflows.

NorthDakota is one of the principal producers of agricultural commodities in the USA, including over half of the total spring wheat production. While the region includes some of the best agricultural lands in the world, the steep temperature and precipitation gradients also make it one of the most sensitive to climate change. Over the 20th century, both the temperature and the pattern of precipitation in the state have changed. One of the most dramatic examples of the consequences of this change is the Devils Lake flooding. Devils Lake is a terminal lake with a surface area of about 500 km2 in a 9,867 km2 closed watershed, located in the northeastern part of the state. The recent changes in climate interrupted the 5-7 year long wet/dry cycle, resulting in a persistently wet state. The change in the water balance has led to a substantial increase in the lake level from 427.0 m in 1940 to 434.6 m in 1993 to 443.2 m in 2011. The resulting flooding has threatened the local communities, costing $450 million in mitigation efforts thus far. If the elevation reaches 444.4 m, the saline, eutrophic lake will naturally spill into the Sheyenne River, eventually flowing into Lake Winnipeg. In two studies, we estimated the climate change impacts on crop yields and on the hydrology of the Devils Lake basin. The projections of six GCMs, driven by three SRES scenarios were statistically downscaled for eight different locations throughout the state, for the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s climate. Averaged over all GCMs, there is a small increase in precipitation, by 0.6 - 1.1% in 2020s, 3.1 - 3.5% in 2050s, and 3.0 - 7.6% in 2080s. This change in precipitation varies with the seasons, with cold seasons becoming wetter and warm seasons not changing. For projections of climate change impacts on the hydrology of the Devils Lake basin, we additionally used the information on the spatial distribution of precipitation over the basin from the NASA TRMM TMPA 3B42-V6 product, which combines

Researchers have demonstrated that particular careers attract individuals with distinct identifiable personality profiles and learning styles, and this idea is extended to the selection of majors within the College of Business and Public Administration (BPA) at the University of NorthDakota. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was used both to…

Stabilized eolian sand is common over much of the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada, including a subhumid area of ??? 1500 km2 near Minot, NorthDakota. Eolian landforms consist of sand sheets and northwest-trending parabolic dunes. Dunes and sand sheets in the Minot field are presently stabilized by a cover of prairie grasses or oak woodland. Stratigraphic studies and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of paleosols indicate at least two periods of eolian sand movement in the late Holocene. Pedologic data suggest that all of the dune field has experienced late Holocene dune activity, though not all parts of the dune field may have been active simultaneously. Similar immobile element (Ti, Zr, La, Ce) concentrations support the interpretation that eolian sands are derived from local glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments. However, glaciolacustrine and glaciofluvial source sediments have high Ca concentrations from carbonate minerals, whereas dune sands are depleted in Ca. Because noneolian-derived soils in the area are calcareous, these data indicate that the Minot dune field may have had extended periods of activity in the Holocene, such that eolian abrasion removed soft carbonate minerals. The southwest-facing parts of some presently stabilized dunes were active during the 1930s drought, but were revegetated during the wetter years of the 1940s. These observations indicate that severe droughts accompanied by high temperatures are the most likely cause of Holocene eolian activity.

NorthDakota is one of the principal producers of agricultural commodities in the USA, including over half of the total spring wheat production. While the region includes some of the best agricultural lands in the world, the steep temperature and precipitation gradients also make it one of the most sensitive to climate change. Over the 20th century, both the temperature and the pattern of precipitation in the state have changed; one of the most dramatic examples of the consequences of this change is the Devils Lake flooding. In two studies, we estimated the climate change impacts on crop yields and on the hydrology of the Devils Lake basin. The projections of six GCMs, driven by three SRES scenarios were statistically downscaled for multiple locations throughout the state, for the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s climate. Averaged over all GCMs, there is a small increase in precipitation, by 0.6 - 1.1% in 2020s, 3.1 - 3.5% in 2050s, and 3.0 - 7.6% in 2080s. This change in precipitation varies with the seasons, with cold seasons becoming wetter and warm seasons not changing.

Combustion testing of sunflower-coal blends on Boilers No. 3 and 5 at the University of NorthDakota (UND) Steam Plant facility was completed. A total of four combustion tests were performed. In each boiler, a baseline combustion test was performed on subbituminous coal and a combustion test was performed on a sunflower-coal blend of approximately 25 wt% sunflower hulls. A cold-flow test was also performed on the boiler feed system. A summary review of the test results is included in this report, along with pictures. Additional analysis is currently being performed on the combustion test data. We have completed Task 2, Fuel-Handling Issues, and are currently working on completing Tasks 3 and 5. Accomplishments for this quarter: (1) Successfully mixed sunflower-coal blend in the UND Steam Plant facility's current feed system. (2) Successfully combusted a 25% sunflower-75% coal (approximately) blend in Boilers No. 3 and 5. (3) Identified potential dust problems with the feed system. (4) Identified potential feed problems at the stokers and in the fireboxes. (5) Obtained test data on the combustion tests.

In a research and development program on carbon development, the EERC investigated key factors in the preparation of activated carbons from low-rank coals indigenous to NorthDakota. The carbons were prepared for potential sorption applications with flue gas and waste liquid streams. Testing involved as-received, physically cleaned, and demineralized samples of a lignite and a leonardite. The following variables were examined: mineral matter content (7-19 wt%), carbonization temperature (350{degrees}-550{degrees}C), activation temperature (700{degrees}-1000{degrees}C), and activation time (10-60 minutes). Activated carbon samples were characterized by sorption of gaseous sulfur dioxide and liquid iodine. For both lignite and leonardite, sorption activity increased with lower mineral content and correlated with medium carbonization temperature and relatively high activation temperature but relatively short activation time. Steam activation did not significantly enhance the char`s sorptive capacity. Physically cleaned leonardite char had SO{sub 2} sorptive capacities as high as 10.9% of the sample weight at ambient temperatures.

A project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory was completed by the Energy & Environmental Research Center to explore the potential for cofiring biomass at the University of NorthDakota (UND). The results demonstrate how 25% sunflower hulls can be cofired with subbituminous coal and provide a 20% return on investment or 5-year payback for the modifications required to enable firing biomass. Significant outcomes of the study are as follows. A complete resource assessment presented all biomass options to UND within a 100-mile radius. Among the most promising options in order of preference were sunflower hulls, wood residues, and turkey manure. The firing of up to 28% sunflower hulls by weight was completed at the university's steam plant to identify plant modifications that would be necessary to enable cofiring sunflower hulls. The results indicated investments in a new equipment could be less than $408,711. Data collected from test burns, which were not optimized for biomass firing, resulted in a 15% reduction in sulfur and NO{sub x} emissions, no increase in opacity, and slightly better boiler efficiency. Fouling and clinkering potential were not evaluated; however, no noticeable detrimental effects occurred during testing. As a result of this study, UND has the potential to achieve a cost savings of approximately $100,000 per year from a $1,500,000 annual fossil fuel budget by implementing the cofiring of 25% sunflower hulls.

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird in the southern United States that has been expanding its breeding range into the northern United States and southern Canada. During the twentieth century, there were 128 reports of Northern Mockingbird occurrences in NorthDakota, including 106 reports during the breeding season (15 April to 31 August) and 22 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 April). The species has been largely absent from NorthDakota from January through mid-April. Prior to the 1930s, there was only one record (1916) of the Northern Mockingbird in the state. Observations of Northern Mockingbirds in NorthDakota increased markedly between the 1930s and 1990s. On average, there were 0.3 reports of mockingbirds per year in 1931-1940, 0.6 in 1941-1950, 1.1 in 1951-1960, 1.6 in 1961-1970, 2.4 in 1971-1980, 2.3 in 1981-1990, and 4.5 in 1991-2000. The species has been observed in NorthDakota nearly annually since 1958. At least six reports during the twentieth century included evidence of nesting (nests or dependent young). Based on mockingbird records during the twentieth century, we designate the current status of the Northern Mockingbird in NorthDakota as a rare spring migrant, rare summer visitant, casual nester, and a casual fall and winter visitant.

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird in the southern United States that has been expanding its breeding range into the northern United States and southern Canada. During the twentieth century, there were 128 reports of Northern Mockingbird occurrences in NorthDakota, including 106 reports during the breeding season (15 April to 31 August) and 22 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 April). The species has been largely absent from NorthDakota from January through mid-April. Prior to the 1930s, there was only one record (1916) of the Northern Mockingbird in the state. Observations of Northern Mockingbirds in NorthDakota increased markedly between the 1930s and 1990s. On average, there were 0.3 reports of mockingbirds per year in 1931-1940, 0.6 in 1941-1950, 1.1 in 1951-1960, 1.6 in 1961-1970, 2.4 in 1971-1980, 2.3 in 1981-1990, and 4.5 in 1991-2000. The species has been observed in NorthDakota nearly annually since 1958. At least six reports during the twentieth century included evidence of nesting (nests or dependent young). Based on mockingbird records during the twentieth century, we designate the current status of the Northern Mockingbird in NorthDakota as a rare spring migrant, rare summer visitant, casual nester, and a casual fall and winter visitant.

During the farm crisis of the 1980s, many midwestern farm families suffered financial distress, but by 1989 an uneven financial recovery was under way. This report summaries data collected from 273 NorthDakota farm operators (a 39% response) and 232 spouses (a 33% response) as part of a large survey conducted in 12 North Central states. The…

The success of the Transition Year procedure to separate and label barley and the other small grains was assessed. It was decided that developers of the procedure would carry out the exercise in order to prevent compounding procedural problems with implementation problems. The evaluation proceeded by labeling the sping small grains first. The accuracy of this labeling was, on the average, somewhat better than that in the Transition Year operations. Other departures from the original procedure included a regionalization of the labeling process, the use of trend analysis, and the removal of time constraints from the actual processing. Segment selection, ground truth derivation, and data available for each segment in the analysis are discussed. Labeling accuracy is examined for NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana as well as for the entire four-state area. Errors are characterized.

The Big Sioux River basin of eastern South Dakota contains an important surface water supply and a sizeable aquifer system of major importance to the economy of South Dakota. The aquifers are complex, consisting of many small aquifers that are hydrologically associated with several large aquifers and the Big Sioux River. The complexity and interrelation of the surface water/groundwater systems has already created management problems. As development continues and increases, the problems will increase in number and complexity. To aid in planning for future development, an accurate determination of drainage areas for all basins, sub-basins, and noncontributing areas in the Big Sioux River basin is needed. All named stream basins, and all unnamed basins > 10 sq mi within the Big Sioux River basin in South Dakota are shown and are listed by stream name. Stream drainage basins in South Dakota were delineated by visual interpretation of contour information shown on U.S. Geological Survey 77-1/2 minute topographic maps. One table lists the drainage areas of major drainage basins in the Big Sioux River basin that do not have a total drainage area value > 10 sq mi. Another shows the drainage area above stream gaging stations in the Big Sioux River basin. (Lantz-PTT)

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of NorthDakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 ifsar data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios.The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative, selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

Exposure to erionite, an asbestos-like mineral, causes unprecedented rates of malignant mesothelioma (MM) mortality in some Turkish villages. Erionite deposits are present in at least 12 US states. We investigated whether increased urban development has led to erionite exposure in the United States and after preliminary exploration, focused our studies on Dunn County, NorthDakota (ND). In Dunn County, ND, we discovered that over the past three decades, more than 300 miles of roads were surfaced with erionite-containing gravel. To determine potential health implications, we compared erionite from the Turkish villages to that from ND. Our study evaluated airborne point exposure concentrations, examined the physical and chemical properties of erionite, and examined the hallmarks of mesothelial cell transformation in vitro and in vivo. Airborne erionite concentrations measured in ND along roadsides, indoors, and inside vehicles, including school buses, equaled or exceeded concentrations in Boyali, where 6.25% of all deaths are caused by MM. With the exception of outdoor samples along roadsides, ND concentrations were lower than those measured in Turkish villages with MM mortality ranging from 20 to 50%. The physical and chemical properties of erionite from Turkey and ND are very similar and they showed identical biological activities. Considering the known 30- to 60-y latency for MM development, there is reason for concern for increased risk in ND in the future. Our findings indicate that implementation of novel preventive and early detection programs in ND and other erionite-rich areas of the United States, similar to efforts currently being undertaken in Turkey, is warranted. PMID:21788493

Ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) were studied in central NorthDakota on a 1,259-km2 intensive study block and on a surrounding study area (16,519 km2) from 1977 to 1979. A total of 629 occupied nests was examined. Highest nest densities (0.08 nest/km2) were in the Missouri Coteau in 1979. Few nests were found on the more intensively cultivated Drift Plain. We estimated the breeding population in the study area each year using 148 sample plots (mean = 440 nesting pairs). Pairs that nested on the ground selected only sites on rugged landforms in isolated areas, mostly end and dead-ice moraines. Land use within 1.0 km of nests was mostly (76.5%) pasture and haylands. About 95% of the area around ground nests was grassland. Tree and tower nesting birds appeared less sensitive to surrounding land use. Pairs on the intensive study block used a wide variety of nest sites including trees (63.6%), ground (20.9%), power line towers (8.0%), haystacks (5.4%), and rock piles, utility poles, and shrubs (2.1%). Reoccupancy rates were higher (63.7%) for tower nests than for other sites. Nest success was related to the type of nest site and was highest (86.7%) in certain power line towers. Mean number of young fledged per occupied nest was highest (2.8) for ground nests. Summer storms were a major cause of loss; tree nests were particularly vulnerable. Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) were taken as prey most often. Ferruginous hawks are closely associated with grasslands, particularly native prairie.

Within the past five years, the production of oil and natural gas in the United States from tight formations has increased rapidly due to advances in technology, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. With the expansion of oil and natural gas extraction operations comes the need to better quantify their emissions and potential impacts on climate forcing and air quality. The Bakken formation within the Williston Basin in NorthDakota has emerged as a large contributor to the recent growth in oil production and accounts for over 10% of domestic production. Close to 30% of associated gas co-produced with the oil is flared. Very little independent information is currently available to assess the oil and gas industry emissions and their impacts on regional air quality. In May 2014, an airborne field campaign was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory and the University of Michigan to investigate hydrocarbon emissions from operations in the oil field. Here, we present results from the analysis for methane, several non-methane hydrocarbons and combustion tracers in 72 discrete air samples collected by the aircraft on nine different flights. Samples were obtained in the boundary layer upwind and downwind of the operations and in the free troposphere. We will show results of a multiple species analysis and compare them with field campaign data from other U.S. oil and gas fields, measurements from NOAA's Global Monitoring Division long-term observing network, and available bottom-up information on emissions from oil and gas operations.

Operation of the Garrison Diversion Unit in NorthDakota may have various effects on the quantity and quality of streamflow in the Sheyenne River and the Red River of the North. To model the effects that the Garrison Diversion Unit could have on water quality, gaged and estimated historic streamflow data and estimated unregulated streamflow data were compiled to develop a complete monthly streamflow record for January 1931 through September 1999 (the data-development period) for 35 sites in the Red River of the North Basin in NorthDakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.During the entire data-development period, gaged streamflow data were available for only 4 of the 35 sites, incomplete data of various length were available for 10 sites, and no data were available for 21 sites. Drainage- area ratio and Maintenance of Variance Extension Type 1 methods were used to estimate the historic streamflow for months when no data were available.Unregulated streamflow for the 35 sites was estimated by eliminating the hydrologic effects of Orwell Reservoir, Lake Traverse, Mud Lake, Lake Ashtabula, and surface-water withdrawals. Modeled flows at the Red River of the North at Wahpeton by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were used to eliminate the effects of Orwell Reservoir, Lake Traverse, and Mud Lake, and water-balance procedures were used to eliminate the effects of Lake Ashtabula.

The "NorthDakota K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures NorthDakota registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and…

The general goals of the NorthDakota DOE/EPSCoR Program are to enhance the capabilities of NorthDakota's researchers to conduct nationally competitive energy-related research and to develop science and engineering human resources to meet current and future needs in energy-related areas. Doctoral students were trained and energy research was conducted.

Based on document analysis and 40 interviews with Roundtable participants and other stakeholders across NorthDakota, this report assesses the factors that enabled the NorthDakota Higher Education Roundtable vision to be sustained for more than seven years, identifies obstacles encountered during the sustainability process, and provides…

The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine the positional leadership of NorthDakota 4-H and FFA leadership alumni. This study determined the influence of youth development programs on statewide leadership alumni (those who served from 1970 to 2000) and community leadership roles as adults. Former NorthDakota 4-H Ambassador Alumni…

This report portrays various performance indicators that are intended to facilitate an assessment of the postsecondary education system in NorthDakota. Descriptive statistics are presented for NorthDakota and five other comparison states as well as the nation. Comparison states were selected according to the degree of similarity of population…

The purpose of this study was to review the history of NorthDakota K-12 transportation funding system, identify how school districts are reimbursed for transportation expenses, and compare this information with fourteen other state transportation funding systems. NorthDakota utilizes a block grant structure that has been in place since 1972 and…

Situational issues related to families and influences upon families in NorthDakota and the United States are briefly outlined in these fact sheets. Contents specifically concern (1) outbound migration from NorthDakota and transition of rural families from farming; (2) suicide in NorthDakota and the nation; (3) child care issues, such as child…

This evaluation is based on an analysis of existing data on file with the NorthDakota Geological Survey (NDGS) and other state and federal agencies. The principle source of data used was the oil and gas well files maintained by the NDGS. A computer library was created containing all the necessary oil and gas well data in the NorthDakota Geological Survey oil and gas well files. Stratigraphic data, bottomhole-temperature data, and chemical data are presented in map form to show the geothermal gradient, temperature, and depth of potential hydrothermal aquifers and the chemical characteristics of potential hydrothermal aquifers.

This project documents the uses, funding, and availability of the streamflow data currently collected in NorthDakota. Presently (1984), 94 streamflow-gaging stations are operated in NorthDakota on a budget of $663,000. Station type, data uses, and funding sources are identified for each of the 94 stations. Data from all stations have multiple uses. All stations have sufficient justification for continuation, but five stations primarily are used in short-term research studies. Those five stations are scheduled to be discontinued at the end of the 1985 water year. (USGS)

Ticks were sampled at nine locations throughout NorthDakota during early summer of 2010, using flagging techniques and small mammals trapping. In total, 1,762 ticks were collected from eight of the nine locations. The dominant species were Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (82%), found throughout the state, and Ixodes scapularis Say (17%), found in northeastern counties. A few nymphal and adult I. scapularis tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi (3%) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (8%). This is the first report of I. scapularis and associated pathogens occurring in NorthDakota and provides evidence for continued westward expansion of this important vector tick species in the United States. PMID:25276942

Erionite, a fibrous zeolite, occurs in pediment gravel deposits near Killdeer Mountain, NorthDakota. Material from these pediment deposits has been excavated for use as roadbed throughout Dunn County, NorthDakota. Erionite also occurs in the Cappadocian region of Turkey, where a link between malignant mesothelioma and inhalation of this mineral has been established. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 8, requested that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compare the chemistry and morphology of erionite collected from the Killdeer Mountains to those collected from villages in Turkey and from Rome, Oregon, which has also been linked to disease in animal studies.

Despite having a broad geographic distribution, Merriam's Shrew (Sorex merriami Dobson 1890) is known from a relatively few, widely-scattered localities. In NorthDakota, the species was known from only a single poorly-preserved specimen collected in 1913 near Medora. We recently collected two new specimens of Merriam's Shrew from Billings and McKenzie counties in the western quarter of the state. These specimens confirm the presence of S. merriami in NorthDakota and better define the northeastern edge of the species' distribution.

This report describes the progress and performance by the University of NorthDakota under NASA Research Award NAG-1-1351, 'Preliminary Analysis of University of NorthDakota Aircraft Data from the FIRE Cirrus IFO-II,' for the period October 15, 1992 to April 14, 1993. Included is a summary of the data archival status and preliminary analysis efforts. During this reporting period, data archival efforts were directed toward providing reduced data for the FIRE data archive and fulfilling special requests for reduced and valued and value-added data.

Recruitment of a mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) population was assessed on a 10,041-km2 study area in central NorthDakota during 1977-80. We equipped 338 hens with radio transmitters and monitored them during the breeding season. Two hundred thirty-five of these hens furnished data reported here. Habitat use, nest site selection, fate of nests, and the rate of renesting were measured. Survival of hens during April-September and survival of young were determined. There was a high negative correlation between nest initiation date and mean April or May temperature. Hens selected nest sites most frequently in grassland and least frequently in cropland, but habitat use compared to availability indicated preference for road right-of-way and odd areas of cover and rejection of cropland. Use of other habitats was in proportion to their availability. Nest success was only 8% during the study. Hen success, a function of nest success and renesting rate, averaged 15% and varied among years because of increased renesting in wet years. In all years, 2-year-old and older hens were twice as successful as first-year nesters. Nesting effort was correlated with water conditions as derived from aerial photographs. April-September survival of hens averaged 80% because predation was heavy when hens were on nests. Only 74% of the hens that hatched a clutch were observed later with at least 1 surviving duckling. On average, hens in the spring population recruited only 0.27 young females to the fall population. Based on this recruitment estimate, published survival estimates and a model previously developed for a closed population, we predict a 20% annual population decline. Nest success of 15% and a resulting hen success of 31% would be required for a stable population. The results suggest that the population on the study area is not maintaining itself but is being supplemented by pioneering birds. A serious recruitment problem has resulted from nest predation. Additional research is

The present report quantifies relations between weather and several aspects of the breeding biology of four duck species: mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), gadwall (A. strepera), blue-winged teal (A. discors), and redhead (Aythya americana). Data were obtained from two locations in NorthDakota,--the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, intermittently during 1936-68, and the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center's Woodworth Station during 1965-77. Arrival dates varied with mean temperature before and during the usual arrival period; early-arriving species were affected by early-season temperatures, and later-arriving species by temperatures later in spring. After temperature effects were accounted for, first arrivals were seen at the more southern Woodworth Station a few days earlier than at Salyer. High spring temperatures also seemed to induce early nesting. The mallard, which nested earliest, was most affected by temperatures during April whereas the other species were most affected by temperatures during late April and May. Peak hatching dates were also earlier in years with higher temperatures in May. Earlier peaks were associated with early first nests, so it was difficult to separate the effects of weather and date of initial nesting. Peaks at Woodworth occurred earlier than at Salyer, after temperature differences were taken into account. The period of most active nesting was longest for the early-nesting mallard, shortest for the late-nesting gadwall, and intermediate for the blue-winged teal and redhead. For two species, precipitation during the breeding season may have prolonged nesting activities. We also found that late nesting seasons tend to be compressed. Productivity at Salyer, measured by the brood to pair ratio, was generally greater in years with higher temperatures during 23 April-3 June. Effects were more pronounced among early-nesting species. Average brood size for Classes I and II tended to decline during the 1947-62 period at Salyer

We compared avian use of naturally occurring and planted woodlands in eastern South Dakota, USA, to evaluate whether planted woodlands support the same avian communities as natural woodlands. A stratified cluster sample was used to randomly select 307 public areas in which to survey planted (n = 425) and natural (n = 99) woodland patches. Eighty-five species of birds were detected in eastern South Dakota woodlands, 36 of which occurred in ??? 5 of 524 patches surveyed. The probability of occurrence for 8 of 13 woodland-obligate species was significantly greater in natural woodland habitats than in planted woodland habitats. Four of these species breed in relatively high numbers in eastern South Dakota. Only one woodland-obligate occurred less frequently in natural woodlands. Probability of occurrence for 6 edge and generalist species, including the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater [Boddaert]), was significantly higher in planted woodlands. The avian community of planted woodlands was dominated by edge and generalist species. The homogeneous vegetation structure typical of planted woodlands does not appear to provide the habitat characteristics needed by woodland-obligate birds. We conclude that planted woodlands do not support significant numbers of woodland-obligate species and may negatively impact grassland-nesting birds by attracting edge and generalist bird species and predators into previously treeless habitats. Planted woodlands cannot be considered equal replacement habitats for natural woodland patches when managing for nongame woodland bird species. However, the preservation and maintenance of natural woodlands is critical for woodland-obligate species diversity in the northern Great Plains.

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered volumes of 7.4 billion barrels of oil, 6.7 trillion cubic feet of associated/dissolved natural gas, and 0.53 billion barrels of natural gas liquids in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations in the Williston Basin Province of Montana, NorthDakota, and South Dakota.

Rocks of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age underlie the entire northern Great Plains of the United States. These rocks form 5 artesian aquifer systems that are recharged in the mountainous areas of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming and extend more than 600 miles to discharge areas in the northeastern part of NorthDakota and in the Canadian Province of Manitoba. Generally, the principal direction of flow in each aquifer is deflected to the north and south around the Williston basin. Flow through the Williston basin is restricted because of geologic structure, and decreased permeability of rocks in the deeper parts of the basin. Major fracture systems or lineaments traverse the geologic section and are either vertical or horizontal conduits, or barriers to, groundwater flow. Vertical leakage from the aquifers is restricted by shale of minimal permeability, halite beds, and stratigraphic traps or minimal-permeability zones associated with petroleum accumulations. Interaquifer leakage appears to occur through and along some of the major lineaments. During the Pleistocene Epoch, thick ice sheets completely covered the discharge areas of the bedrock aquifers. This effectively blocked flow northeastward from the system and, at some locations, it may have caused a reversal of flow. The existing flow, system therefore, may not have reached hydrologic equilibrium with the stress of the last glacial period. (USGS)

A statewide condition assessment of NorthDakota wetlands in the summer of 2011 was conducted as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA). Two other wetland condition assessments, the Index of Plant Community Integrity (IPCI...

A needs assessment of the library services of the Lake Agassiz region of NorthDakota was begun in 1974. A mail survey of the area population and an in-library user survey were conducted. Almost all libraries in the region fell below state standards on holdings primarily because the population base was inadequate to support 11 municipal libraries.…

This handbook provides teachers with support material to more fully implement the NorthDakota Energy and Power Curriculum Guide, Level I. It first presents the body of knowledge for Energy/Power Technology as taken from the curriculum guide. The guide is then addressed unit by unit, topic by topic. These seven units are covered: Energy/Power…

The 2007-08 operating budget for the NorthDakota University System is over $960 million. Approximately 28 percent of operations are supported by the state general fund. The remainder of the operations of the University System are self-supporting through tuition and fees, room and board charges paid by students, and private and federal research…

There is limited information on how to manage corn (Zea mays) in drought prone regions of western NorthDakota where moisture stress during fertilization and grain filling frequently occurs. Analysis of weather data suggests eight of the last ten years had significant water stress during this perio...

The volume represents in microcosm the sort of faculty-trainee-student interaction that is a priority at the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) at the University of NorthDakota. Seven studies by faculty and students of SIL include the following: "Lexical Variation in Mexican Sign Language" (J. Albert Bickford); "Reflexives in Veracruz Huastec"…

A study of characteristics and motives of migrants to the Northern Great Plains surveyed 1,590 new residents in Nebraska and NorthDakota. New arrivals were younger and had higher educational levels than existing residents. Most often cited reasons for moving were desire to be closer to relatives, safety concerns, and quality of the natural…

... declaration of May 10, 2011. Benson County for Individual Assistance (already designated for Public Assistance... notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of NorthDakota (FEMA-1981-DR), dated May 10, 2011, and related determinations. DATES: Effective Date: August 4, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

The Level 1.5 method is a limited-detail method that is used for quick estimates of bridge scour. The method was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in Montana and was used to estimate scour depths at 215 bridge sites located on secondary roads throughout NorthDakota. The estimated scour depths are presented in tabular form.

Successful development of biofuels from biomass feedstocks depends on high yields and acceptable quality. We investigated the chemical composition of ten perennial grasses and mixtures across environments in NorthDakota, USA. The contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid deter...

An assessment of the NorthDakota Science and Engineering Fair and an analysis of the background and careers of its finalists from 1951 to 1985 are contained in this report. The project's objectives were to: (1) compile a complete list of international fair participants (1951-1985); (2) study the subsequent geographic distribution of the…

Breeding bird populations were surveyed on 128 randomly selected quarter-sections throughout NorthDakota in 1967, 1992, and 1993. Population estimates and frequencies of occurrence are reported for 92 uncommon breeding bird species with statewide frequencies of less than 10%.

Keeping schools safe and productive is an increasing concern for educators everywhere. This research focused on how one elementary school in West Fargo, NorthDakota, implemented a school wide discipline approach to help decrease negative student behaviors. The researcher compared and contrasted three different discipline models. The researcher…

Quantification of trace gas emissions and an increased understanding of soil controls on emissions during freeze-thaw cycles are essential to refine climate change models. Six similar, intact soil cores were collected to a depth of 80 cm from an undisturbed prairie in central NorthDakota. Trace g...

The Biennial Report presents a summary of programs and services provided by the NorthDakota Department of Public Instruction. The State Superintendent noted a continued decline in enrollment, a shrinking tax base, expanded educator shortages, and concerns regarding school financing as realities impacting the state's constitutional responsibility…

Questionnaires completed by 126 instructors of handicapped students in NorthDakota were analyzed to examine the use of curriculum materials in special education. Teachers were asked to list at least 10 curriculum materials presently used by the students. Of the 536 materials named, 255 were classified through the use of the Annehurst Curriculum…

Presenting a descriptive and prescriptive analysis of the social variables important to planning and informed public participation in the development of the West River Diversion Project in NorthDakota (WRDP), this report is organized via the following sections: (1) Knowledge and Evaluation of the Project (How aware are people of the WRDP and its…

NorthDakota is a major fall staging area for the Midcontinent Population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), which is composed of three subspecies: the greater (G. c. tabida), Canadian (G. c. rowani), and lesser (G. c. canadensis). The number of cranes killed by hunters in NorthDakota averaged 6,793 during 1990-94 seasons, ranking second highest among crane-hunting states. The distribution of harvest among subspecies is important, due to concerns about the poorly known status of these subspecies, especially the greater. We estimated subspecies composition of the harvest in NorthDakota using morphometric data collected from field samples of birds harvested since 1968. Subspecies composition varied both spatially (across counties from east to west) and temporally (among 3 periods of distinct harvest regulations and within season). Lessers predominated in the west and Canadians and greaters in the east. For the 1990-94 period we estimated that mortality due to hunting in NorthDakota averaged at least 1,085 (18%) greaters, 2,138 (36%) Canadians, and 2,716 (46%) lessers.

Quilt investigations, such as the Barn quilt problem in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of "Teaching Children Mathematics" and its solutions in last month's issue, can spark interdisciplinary pursuits for teachers and exciting connections for the full range of elementary school students. This month, NorthDakota's centennial quilt problem…

This issue features a special report on a 1982-1983 study of 19 rural NorthDakota high schools. The report is preceded by a brief commentary. The study provides in-depth descriptions of 7 schools and survey data from 12 others, and has sections on teachers, students, purposes and expectations, school climate and relationship with the community,…

This report on Alzheimer's disease in NorthDakota discusses the heightened awareness of the disease and the shift in the age structure as two possible reasons for the increase in recognized incidences of the disease. It explains the three epidemiological indices commonly used to describe a population in the study of dementing illnesses:…

... 78 FR 16452, is extended. Comments must be received on or before June 17, 2013. The public hearings... plants in NorthDakota. See 78 FR 16452. Public hearings will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, from 3..., Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic compounds. Dated: April...

The State of NorthDakota is number one in the production of hard red spring wheat (HRSW) with approximately 7 million acres devoted to this crop. HRSW has superior characteristics for bread baking, and is used in blends with other wheat to improve the quality of the final flour. Nineteen different ...

Sunflower downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii) is an economic problem in sunflowers in NorthDakota (ND), which historically produces about half the U.S. sunflower crop. From 2001 to 2011, the prevalence and incidence of downy mildew was monitored in ND as part of two large survey efforts, namely a m...

Research by the staff and advanced students of the NorthDakota Summer Institute of Linguistics is presented. In "Verb Agreement and Case Marking in Burushaski" (Stephen R. Willson), an overview of Burushaski morphology and syntax is presented, with special attention to verb agreement and case marking. "A Backwards Binding Construction in Zapotec"…

This individual profile provides information on NorthDakota's college and career readiness assessment policy. Some of the categories presented include: (1) CCR assessment policy; (2) Purpose; (3) Major changes in CCR assessment policy since the 2009-10 school year for financial reasons; (4) State financial support for students to take the CCR…

This report provides financial data for the NorthDakota University System (the "System") for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. The Management Discussion and Analysis; the Statement of Net Assets; the Statement of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Assets; and the Statement of Cash Flows provide information on the System as a whole and…

The final report evaluates the activities of the first nine weeks of a project designed to develop a curriculum guide for a school-model store at a NorthDakota high school. The program combines the favorable aspects of both the school store and the model store, providing "live" experiences as well as simulated ones. The Distributive Education One…

It is common knowledge that many college students consume alcohol and/or binge drink. NorthDakota colleges and universities are not immune to high levels of alcohol consumption, as they are among the leaders for binge drinking for people aged 18 to 25. Any number of reasons could explain this behavior, including new freedoms enjoyed by many 18 to…

Breeding passerine birds were studied in three native grass plantings of predominantly western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii) and green needlegrass (Stipa viridula) in south-central NorthDakota during 1982-1984. A total of eight different species of passerines readily colonized this relatively new type of wildlife habitat during the second, third. and fourth growing seasons.

To develop appropriate bioenergy production systems to match site-specific situations, establishment and yield were evaluated for switchgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, tall wheatgrass, and three binary mixtures at four sites in NorthDakota from 2006 to 2011. Canopy cover at harvest for intermediat...

Collected here are library profiles from seven NorthDakota institutions including the State Penitentiary and Farm; the State Industrial School; the State Hospital; state schools for the blind, deaf, and mentally retarded; and the Soldiers' Home. General information about the institutions includes the authority and responsibility of the…

Two NorthDakota home economists developed consumer education curricula based on adult performance level (APL) objectives and the perceived needs of their vocational students. They worked with local directors of adult basic and secondary education (ABSE) to incorporate the curricula into regular ABSE classes. Project objectives were to (1)…

Six papers resulting from the fieldwork projects of members of the Summer Institute of Linguistics program at the University of NorthDakota include: "A Relational Grammar Approach to Kera Syntax" (Janet K. Camburn), a syntactic study of an Afroasiatic language; "Clitic Doubling and M-Chains in Piraha" (Dan Everett), examining the applicability of…

The 2007-09 state general fund executive recommendation (including general fund capital projects) is $470.2 million for the eleven campuses, UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Forest Service and NorthDakota University System Office, which is an increase of $81.8 million or 21.1% over the 2005-07 adjusted appropriation. The total…

Teacher duties and curriculum developed by NorthDakota, in deciding what role teachers would play in the community and what standards of conformity and propriety would be applied to teachers, mirrored certain aspects of the local culture and reflected a wider national culture. The inclusion of health studies reflected the local majority concern…

In addition to providing an information base for NorthDakota decision makers faced with immediate coal development plans in Mercer County, this study is also designed to serve as a prototype for similar studies incorporating the format and assumptions of the Old West Regional Commission's "Procedures Manual". The investigation is limited to the…

NorthDakota's lignite coal industry is mainly located in three countries in the central part of the state. Its large surface lignite mines are tied through long-term (20-40 years) contracts to power plants. The article talks about operations at three of the most productive mines - the Freedom mine, Falkirk mine and Center Mine. 4 figs.

Five NorthDakota reservoirs will be target for the development of a sediment nutrient TMDL. For each TMDL, a project specific QAPP will be developed. As part of each TMDL, field sampling will include tributary discharge and chemical sampling, lake sampling, and the development...

In NorthDakota during 1948, the Committee for Separation of Church and State succeeded in passing an "anti-garb" initiative, which targeted Catholic nuns who taught in public schools because of a teacher shortage. The committee protested the wearing of the religious habit claiming it had a religious influence on students. (KS)

... accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You may obtain copies of the NorthDakota statutes that are incorporated by reference from the Matthew Bender & Company Inc., P. O. Box 7587, Charlottesville..., call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. (i)...

... accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You may obtain copies of the NorthDakota statutes that are incorporated by reference from the Matthew Bender & Company Inc., P. O. Box 7587, Charlottesville..., call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. (i)...

Tissue and/or fecal samples were collected from scouring calves that were submitted to the NorthDakota State University, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The samples were tested for presence of Giardia antigens using a SNAP Giardia-antigen test kit. To confirm a positive diagnosis, all Giardia-ant...

A statewide condition assessment of NorthDakota wetlands in the summer of 2011 was conducted as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA). Two other wetland condition assessments, the Index of Plant Community Integrity...

Data for the Red River of the North (Red River) Basin in Minnesota, NorthDakota, and South Dakota were analyzed to determine whether the water quality of streams in the basin is adequate to meet future needs. For the Red River at Emerson, Manitoba, site, pH values, water temperatures, and dissolved-oxygen concentrations generally were within the criteria established for the protection of aquatic life. Dissolved-solids concentrations ranged from 245 to 1,100 milligrams per liter. Maximum sulfate and chloride concentrations were near, but did not exceed, the established secondary maximum contaminant level. The trace elements considered potentially harmful generally were at concentrations that were less than the established guidelines, standards, and criteria. The concentrations of lead that were detected may have occurred as a result of sample contamination. For the Red River upstream from Emerson, Manitoba, sites, pH and other field values rarely exceeded the criteria established for the protection of aquatic life. Many constituent concentrations for the Red River below Fargo, N. site exceeded water-quality guidelines, standards, and criteria. However, the trace-element exceedances could be natural or could be related to pollution or sample contamination. Many of the tributaries in the western part of the Red River Basin had median specific-conductance values that were greater than 1,000 microsiemens per centimeter. Sulfate concentrations occasionally exceeded the established drinking-water standard. Median arsenic concentrations were 6 micrograms per liter or less, and maximum concentrations rarely exceeded the 10-microgram-per-liter drinking-water standard that is scheduled to take effect in 2006. The small concentrations of lead, mercury, and selenium that occasionally were detected may have been a result of sample contamination or other factors. The tributaries in the eastern part of the Red River Basin had median specific-conductance values that were less than

The Winnipegosis Formation (Middle Devonian) in north-central Dakota has the greatest potential for large oil reserves in the Williston basin. The Winnipegosis carbonate (50 to 325 ft thick) was deposited in the southeast end of the Elk Point restricted sea. During Winnipegosis deposition, the Williston basin could be divided into two distinct environments: (1) a deep starved basin with accompanying pinnacle reefs separated by interreef, laminated limestone and (2) a surrounding carbonate shelf. Within the carbonate shelf are patch reefs, banks, and tidal flats. Overlying the Winnipegosis carbonate is the Prairie Formation, which has a basal anhydrite (0 to 70 ft thick) and an overlying salt (0 to 650 ft thick). These were deposited in a regressive phase of the Elk Point sea and act as seals for Winnipegosis oil entrapment. Currently, oil production from the Winnipegosis in the Williston basin is from stratigraphic traps and from small structures on the carbonate shelf. The most significant accumulation to date is Temple field, in which 11 wells produce from +/- 20 ft of Winnipegosis dolomite. The pinnacle reef environment has potential for significant oil reserves from 250-ft thick reefs covering 160 ac or less. Two pinnacle reefs have had free-oil recoveries from thin pay zones. The Rainbow/Zama fields in northwest Alberta have an ultimate reserve of more than 1 billion bbl of oil from Keg River reefs, which are correlative and similar to the Winnipegosis reefs in NorthDakota. The strong seismic reflection that originates from the Winnipegosis-Prairie evaporite interface provides an excellent means of detecting Winnipegosis reefs. Amplitude of the Winnipegosis reflection is reduced dramatically over the reefs. The resulting dim spot is one criteria used in identifying reefs.

An integrated geochemical-sedimentological project is studying the paleoclimatic and paleogeographic characteristics of the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse world of western North America. A critical part of this project, required to establish a temporal framework, is a stratigraphie study of depositional relationships between the AlbianCenomanian Dakota and the Upper Albian Kiowa formations of the eastern margin of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS). Palynostratigraphic and sedimentologic analyses provide criteria for the Dakota Formation to be divided into three sedimentary sequences bounded by unconformities (D0, D1, and D2) that are recognized from western Iowa to westernmost Kansas. The lowest of these sequences, defined by unconformities D0 and D1, is entirely Upper Albian, and includes the largely nonmarine basal Dakota (lower part of the Nishnabotna Member) strata in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska and the marine Kiowa Formation to the southwest in Kansas. The gravel-rich fluvial deposits of the basal part of the Nishnabotna Member of the Dakota Formation correlate with transgressive marine shales of the Kiowa Formation. This is a critical relationship to establish because of the need to correlate between marine and nonmarine strata that contain both geochronologic and paleoclimatic proxy data. The basal gravel facies (up to 40 m thick in western Iowa) aggraded in incised valleys during the Late Albian Kiowa-Skull Creek marine transgression. In southeastern Nebraska, basal gravels intertongue with carbonaceous mudrocks that contain diverse assemblages of Late Albian palynomorphs, including marine dinoflagellates and acritarchs. This palynomorph assemblage is characterized by occurrences of palynomorph taxa not known to range above the Albian Kiowa-Skull Creek depositional cycle elsewhere in the Western Interior, and correlates to the lowest of four generalized palynostratographic units that are comparable to other palynological sequences elsewhere in North

Granite gneiss, with an age of approximately 2.5 billion years, in the Black Hills, South Dakota , provides a link betweeen ancient rocks in western Wyoming and Montana and in easternNorth and South Dakota and Minnesota. The discovery suggests that early Precambrian rocks covered an extensive area in northcentral United States and were not restricted to several small nuclei.

This research established the Dakota-outcrop sequence stratigraphy in part of the eastern San Juan Basin, New Mexico, and relates reservoir quality lithologies in depositional sequences to structure and reservoir compartmentalization in the South Lindrith Field area. The result was a predictive tool that will help guide further exploration and development.

This research study identifies major reasons that caused students enrolled in two-year postsecondary farm management programs, at five postsecondary institutions in NorthDakota, not to complete the prescribed course of study in which they were enrolled. (SSH)

The Bufflehead Bucephala albeola breeds predominantly in Canada and Alaska (USA). Evidence suggests that the species may have recently expanded its breeding range southward into central and south central NorthDakota. This paper presents data on observations of Buffleheads during the breeding season in Kidder County, NorthDakota, 1994-2002, and discusses the possibility that the species has not expanded its breeding range but rather has established an extralimital post-breeding staging area south of its typical breeding range.

The Bufflehead Bucephala albeola predominantly in Canada and Alaska (USA). Evidence suggests that the species may have recently expanded its breeding range southward into central and south-central NorthDakota. This paper presents data on observations of Buffleheads during the breeding season in Kidder County, NorthDakota, 1994-2002, and discusses the possibility that the species has not expanded its breeding range but rather has established an extralimital post-breeding staging area south of its typical breeding range.

Bank recession at twenty stations along the eastern end of 286 km long Lake Sakakawea, NorthDakota, measured regularly between 1983 and 1986, showed a recession range from essentially zero to almost 9 m yr -1 with an average of 1.6 m yr -1. Between 1969 and 1979, rates were greater, the declining rate a normal consequence of the factors affecting bank recession. Rates of recession vary with seasons, with 78% of the annual recession occurring during the warmer season (May-October) as a result of wave erosion. The remaining 22% occurs during thaw failure in spring. Prediction of ultimate (500 yr) bank recessions attempted using historical recession data, the three years of detailed field measurements, and regression analysis of the erosion factors. An equation, presented here, requires field measurement of bank orientation and height, batch width and composition, and slope of the offshore area. Effective fetch must be measured, as well. The resulting equation for the monthly warm season recession rate is: Rs=154.9 -, (18.8 √ A+ 25.1 √ B +10.1 √ c +6.9 √ 0+5.0 √ E + 1.1 √ F) where: A = sine of angle between bank orientation and dominant wind; B = offshore slope angle; C = beach width; D = bank height; E = effective fetch; and F = percentage of coarse beach clasts. The colder season recession percentage is: Rw = Rs [(2.05 D = 0.043 G) - 2/100] where D is bank height and G the bank orientation with respect to sun. The total yearly predicted recession (cm yr -1) is: Rt = 6 ( Rw) + 6 ( Rs) 6 being the number of months of "cold" and "warm" weather at Lake Sakakawea. For this rate to be projected into the future, it is necessary to assume a declining rate of recession, employing a parabolic trend. From this, the ultimate bank recession for Lake Sakakawea is predicted to range up to 542 m.

The strong warming and salinification of the EasternNorth Atlantic starting in the mid 1990s has been attributed to a westward contraction of the subpolar gyre and stronger inflow of waters from the subtropical gyre. Temporal changes in the shape and strength of the two gyres have been related to the major mode of atmospheric variability in the Atlantic sector, the NAO. Hydrographic conditions along the Northwest European shelf are thus the result of different processes such as variations in transports, varying relative contributions of water masses from the two gyres and property trends in the source water masses. We examine the decadal variability in the easternNorth Atlantic based on Argo data from 2000-2015 and have constructed time series for four water masses (Subpolar Mode Water (SPMW), Intermediate Water (IW), upper Labrador Sea Water (uLSW) and deep Labrador Sea Water (dLSW)) at selected locations along the Northwest European shelf. Data from the Rockall Trough and the Iceland Basin are chosen to represent advective pathways in the subpolar gyre at two major branches of the North Atlantic Current towards the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean. Temporal variability of subtropical waters transported northward along the eastern boundary is studied at Goban Spur around 48°N. The Argo data are extended in time with long-term hydrographic observations such as the Extended Ellet Line data and other climatological sources in the region. For the study of transport fluctuations time series from the RACE (Regional circulation and Global change) program (2012-2015) and predecessor programs have been used. These programs have monitored the subpolar gyre in the western basin and provide time series of transports and hydrographic anomalies from moored instruments at the western flank of the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR). First results show that the temperatures and salinities remained at high levels for the upper waters (SPMW and IW) until 2010 and have been decreasing since

The object of this study is to evaluate the hydrothermal resources of NorthDakota. This evaluation is based on an analysis of existing data on file with the NorthDakota Geological Survey (N.D.G.S.) and other state and federal agencies. The principle source of data used during phase I was the oil and gas well files maintained by the N.D.G.S. These files contain the information necessary to conduct an initial evaluation of the hydro-thermal resources of the state. Stratigraphic data, bottomhole-temperature data, and chemical data are presented in map form to show the geothermal gradient, temperature, and depth of potential hydrothermal aquifers and the chemical characteristics of potential hydrothermal aquifers.

The hydrothermal resources of NorthDakota were evaluated. This evaluation was based on existing data on file with the NorthDakota Geological Survey (NDGS) and other state and federal agencies, and field and laboratory studies conducted. The principal sources of data used during the study were WELLFILE, the computer library of oil and gas well data developed during the Phase I study, and WATERCAT, a computer library system of water well data assembled during the Phase II study. A field survey of the shallow geothermal gradients present in selected groundwater observation holes was conducted. Laboratory determinations of the thermal conductivity of core samples were done to facilitate heat-flow calculations on those holes-of-convenience cased.

This evaluation of the hydrothermal resources of NorthDakota is based on existing data on file with the NorthDakota Geological Survey (NDGS) and other state and federal agencies, and field and laboratory studies conducted. The principal sources of data used during the Phase II study were WELLFILE, the computer library of oil and gas well data developed during the Phase I study, and WATERCAT, a computer library system of water well data assembled during the Phase II study. A field survey of the shallow geothermal gradients present in selected groundwater observation holes was conducted. Laboratory determinations of the thermal conductivity of core samples is being done to facilitate heat-flow calculations on those hole-of-convenience cased.

Oil production in the NorthDakota, USA Bakken Formation has increased dramatically over the last decade. The natural gas associated with this oil production is typically burned off, or flared, if there does not exist infrastructure to transport the natural gas to market. This flaring activity can be characterized using the satellite Nightfire data product, generated at NOAA NCEI. Nightfire uses nighttime data from the infrared bands of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument, onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) platform, and identifies hotspots at the time of overpass. In addition, Nightfire gives estimates of the temperature, size, and radiant heat of the hotspots. This presentation will show the spatial and temporal distribution of gas flaring in NorthDakota from 2012-2015. In addition, a summary of calibration work to estimate flared gas volumes from Nightfire detections will be presented.

The current focus in forensic anthropology on increasing scientific certainty in ancestry determination reinforces the need to examine the ancestry of skeletal remains used for osteology instruction. Human skeletal remains were discovered on the University of NorthDakota campus in 2007. After recovery, the osteological examination resulted in a profile for a 33- to 46-year-old woman of African descent with stature ranging from 56.3 to 61.0 in. The pattern of postmortem damage indicated that the remains had been prepared for use as an anatomical teaching specimen. Review of the American history of anatomical teaching revealed a preference for Black subjects, which apparently extended to states like NorthDakota despite extremely low resident populations of people of African descent. This study emphasizes the need to examine the ancestry of older teaching specimens that lack provenience, rather than assuming they are derived from typical (i.e., Indian) sources of anatomical material. PMID:21447074

This report presents techniques for estimating peak-flow frequency relations for NorthDakota streams. In addition, a generalized skew coefficient analysis was completed for NorthDakota to test the validity of using the generalized skew coefficient map in Bulletin 17B of the Hydrology Subcommittee of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982, 'Guidelines for Determining Flood Flow Frequency.' The analysis indicates that the generalized skew coefficient map in Bulletin 17B provides accurate estimates of generalized skew coefficient values for natural-flow streams in NorthDakota. Peak-flow records through 1988 for 192 continuous- and partial-record streamflow gaging stations that had 10 or more years of record were used in a generalized least-squares regression analysis that relates peak flows for selected recurrence intervals to selected basin characteristics. Peak-flow equations were developed for recurrence intervals of 2, 10, 15, 25, 50, 100, and 500 years for three hydrologic regions in NorthDakota. The peak-flow equations are applicable to natural-flow streams that have drainage areas of less than or equal to 1,000 square miles. The standard error of estimate for the three hydrologic regions ranges from 60 to 70 percent for the 100-year peak-flow equations. Methods are presented for transferring peak-flow data from gaging stations to ungaged sites on the same stream and for determining peak flows for ungaged sites on ungaged streams. Peak-flow relations, weighted estimates of peak flow, and selected basin characteristics are tabulated for the 192 gaging stations used in the generalized skew coefficient and regression analyses. Peak-flow relations also are provided for 63 additional gaging stations that were not used in the generalized skew coefficient and regression analyses. These 63 gaging stations generally represent streams that are significantly controlled by regulation and those that have drainage areas greater than 1,000 square miles.

A modified decoy trap was effective for capturing wild adult male and female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) during the 1980-81 breeding seasons in NorthDakota. Key features contributing to the trap's success included a central decoy cylinder, large capture compartments with spring-door openings, an adjustable trigger mechanism with a balanced door attachment that was resistant to trap movement, and the use of F1, wild-stock or game-farm female decoys.

Research on the hydrology of the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, NorthDakota, includes study of evaporation. Climatic data needed for energy-budget and mass-transfer evaporation studies that were collected during 1983 include water-surface temperature, sediment temperature, dry-bulb and wet-bulb air temperature, vapor pressure at and above the water surface, wind speed, and short-and long-wave radiation. Data are collected at raft and land stations. (USGS)

Research on the hydrology of the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, NorthDakota, includes study of evaporation. Presented here are those climatic data needed for energy-budget and mass-transfer evaporation studies, including: water-surface temperature, sediment temperature dry-bulb and wet-bulb air temperatures, vapor pressure at and above the water surface, wind speed, and short- and long-wave radiation. Data were collected at raft and land stations. (USGS)

A feasibility study was conducted to determine whether wheat could be distinguished from other small grain crops in a selected spring wheat growing area in Burke County, NorthDakota using a maximum likelihood classification program and ERTS 1 multispectral band scanner data. ERTS 1 data scenes were selected from passes made on June 5, 1973 and June 23, 1973. The Univac 1108 computer and the LARSYS pattern recognition software package were used in performing the classification. Results of the analysis are provided.

A well-preserved ungual of a pes documents the presence of Jefferson's ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii) at the end of the Wisconsinan in NorthDakota. This is the 1st report of M. jeffersonii in NorthDakota, and one of few records from the upper Great Plains. An accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon age of 11,915 ?? 40 years ago was obtained from the specimen, suggesting that the sloth resided in NorthDakota during the Rancholabrean Land Mammal Age, just before extinction of the species. Palynological records from sites near the sloth occurrence and of the same age indicate that it resided in a cool, moist, spruce-dominated forest habitat in a riparian setting along the Missouri River. Its presence in that setting corroborates the notion that Jefferson's ground sloth was a browsing inhabitant of gallery forests associated with rivers. It is likely that M. jeffersonii used river valleys, such as the Missouri River valley, as migration routes. ?? 2007 American Society of Mammalogists.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) in central NorthDakota undergo prebasic molt or prejuvenile molt during late summer. Nestling Yellow-headed Blackbirds initiate a complete prejuvenile molt, grow their primary and secondary regimes in about 40 days, completing molt after they leave the nest by the first week in August. Remiges are not replaced during the subsequent preformative molt, being retained until the second prebasic molt. Nonlinear (logistic) regression of primary remex growth during definitive prebasic molts of Yellow-headed Blackbirds indicated 38 days were required to complete the linear phase of growth (between 10% and 90% of total primary length). Males added 19.5 mm/d and females added 15.7 mm/d to the total length of all primaries during this linear growth phase; an average of 4–5 mm per primary remex per day. Definitive prebasic molting of primary remiges in males and females was initiated in late June, after nesting and brood rearing were completed. Molts of Yellow-headed Blackbirds were completed by early September, before birds emigrated from NorthDakota during mid-September. Because of their comparatively early completion of molt and emigration from the state, as well as their more diverse diet, agricultural depredation caused by Yellow-headed Blackbirds in NorthDakota is likely less than that of Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles.

A study of avian use of various habitats was conducted in the Sheyenne Lake region of central NorthDakota during April-June 1980. Population counts of birds were made in wetlands of various classes, prairie thickets, upland native prairie, shelterbelts, and cropland. About 22,000 breeding bird pairs including 92 species that nested occupied the area. Population means for most species were equal to or greater than statewide means. Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), and blue-winged teal (Anas discors) were the most numerous species, and made up 32.9% of the total population . Highest densities of breeding birds occurred in shelterbelts, semipermanent wetlands, and prairie thickets. Lowest densities occurred in upland native prairie and cropland. The study area was used by 49.6% of the total avifauna of the State, and 51% of the breeding avifauna of NorthDakota probably nested in the study area. The diversity of birds using the area was unusual in that such a large number of species occupied a relatively small area. The close interspersion of many native habitats, several of which are unique in NorthDakota, probably accounted for this diversity. Data on dates of occurrence, nesting records, and habitat use are presented for the 175 species recorded in 1980. Observations of significance by refuge staff are also provided.

Meteorological data were located, acquired, and stored from selected stations in Montana and NorthDakota coal regions and adjacent areas including South Dakota and Wyoming. Data that were acquired have potential use in small watershed modeling studies. Emphasis was placed on acquiring data that was collected during the period 1970 to the present (1984). A map shows the location and type of stations selected. A narration summarizing conventions used in acquiring and storing the meteorological data is provided along with the various retrieval options available. Individual station descriptions are followed by tables listing the meteorological variables collected, period of obtained record, percentage of data recovery, and the instruments used and their description. (USGS)

Preliminary studies of geothermal production potential for the NorthDakota portion of the Williston Basin have been carried out. Reservoir data such as formation depth, subsurface temperatures, and water quality were reviewed for geothermal brine production predictions. This study, in addition, provides important information about net pay thickness, porosity, volume of geothermal water available, and productivity index for future geothermal direct-use development. Preliminary results show that the Inyan Kara Formation of the Dakota Group is the most favorable geothermal resource in terms of water quality and productivity. The Madison, Duperow, and Red River Formations are deeper formations but because of their low permeability and great depth, the potential flow rates from these three formations are considerably less than those of the Inyan Kara Formation. Also, poor water quality and low porosity will make those formations less favorable for geothermal direct-use development.

Regional phylogeographical studies involving co-distributed animal and plant species have been conducted for several areas, most notably for Europe and the Pacific Northwest of North America. Until recently, phylogeographical studies in unglaciated easternNorth America have been largely limited to animals. As more studies emerge for diverse lineages (including plants), it seems timely to assess the phylogeography across this region: (i) comparing and contrasting the patterns seen in plants and animals; (ii) assessing the extent of pseudocongruence; and (iii) discussing the potential applications of regional phylogeography to issues in ecology, such as response to climatic change. Unglaciated easternNorth America is a large, geologically and topographically complex area with the species examined having diverse distributions. Nonetheless, some recurrent patterns emerge: (i) maritime - Atlantic vs. Gulf Coast; (ii) Apalachicola River discontinuity; (iii) Tombigbee River discontinuity; (iv) the Appalachian Mountain discontinuity; (v) the Mississippi River discontinuity; and (vi) the Apalachicola River and Mississippi River discontinuities. Although initially documented in animals, most of these patterns are also apparent in plants, providing support for phylogeographical generalizations. These patterns may generally be attributable to isolation and differentiation during Pleistocene glaciation, but in some cases may be older (Pliocene). Molecular studies sometimes agree with longstanding hypotheses of glacial refugia, but also suggest additional possible refugia, such as the southern Appalachian Mountains and areas close to the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Many species exhibit distinct patterns that reflect the unique, rather than the shared, aspects of species' phylogeographical histories. Furthermore, similar modern phylogeographical patterns can result from different underlying causal factors operating at different times (i.e. pseudocongruence). One underemphasized

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L), a native warm-season perennial grass, grows in Central and North American tall-grass prairie. The plant is immense biomass producer and can reach heights up to three meters or more in wet areas. Its high lignocellulosic content makes switchgrass an appropriate candidate for bio-ethanol production. Annual crops, used for bioenergy production such as corn, soybeans, often results in loss of soil organic matter and release of soil carbon, whereas perennial crops like switchgrass can help build soil organic matter and store more soil carbon due to the large amount of underground biomass they produce. NorthDakota has been identified as a potential area for perennial switchgrass biomass production for bioenergy purpose. Switchgrass is a C4 grass that has the potential as feedstock for a cellulosic based biofuels industry in the Northern Great Plains. The objective of the present study is to conduct a GIS and Remote Sensing-based land suitability evaluation for switchgrass production in NorthDakota. The process involved spatial analysis of several physiographical data including climate, soil and land use. Land suitability for switchgrass was determined as a function of agro-climatic factors governing switchgrass establishment, potential biomass yield, and long term land use practice in NorthDakota. The outputs of the analysis were agro-climatic establishment risk map, switchgrass yield potential map and temporal land use variation map in NorthDakota. A switchgrass suitability map was the final outcome of the analysis which was a weighted composite overlay of the analyzed factors governing switchgrass production. The suitability map showed relative land suitability for switchgrass production in NorthDakota without competing with local agriculture or negatively impacting permanent grassland. The study will be helpful for users or decision makers in planning switchgrass biomass feedstock production and policy development governing

NorthDakota has the least extensive total area of forested habitats of any of the 50 United States. Although occurring in limited area, forest communities add considerably to the total ecological diversity of the State. The forests of the Pembina Hills region in northeastern NorthDakota are one of only three areas large enough to be considered of commercial value. During 1981 we studied the avifauna of the upper valley of the Pembina River in the Pembina Hills. Field work extended from 20 April to 23 July; breeding bird censuses were conducted 7 June to 2 July. Of the 120 bird species recorded during the study period, 79 species were recorded during the breeding season. The total breeding population was estimated at nearly 76,000 breeding pairs. The wood warblers (Parulidae) were the most numerous family, accounting for about 28,000 breeding pairs. The yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) was the most abundant breeding species, making up 19.4% of the population. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) was second in abundance, accounting for 10.5% of the breeding population. Largest breeding densities occurred in the willow (Salix sp.) shrub community. Although supporting the lowest mean breeding density, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests supported the highest species diversity. First State breeding records were recorded for alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) and golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera). Records were obtained for 12 species considered rare or unusual in NorthDakota during the breeding season. The status of all species known to have occurred in the study area is described in an annotated species list.

The Dakota Water Resources Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of future water-quantity and -quality needs of the Red River of the North (Red River) Basin in NorthDakota and of possible options to meet those water needs. To obtain the river gain and loss information needed to properly account for available streamflow within the basin, available river gain and loss studies for the Sheyenne, Turtle, Forest, and Park Rivers in NorthDakota and the Wild Rice, Sand Hill, Clearwater, South Branch Buffalo, and Otter Tail Rivers in Minnesota were reviewed. Ground-water discharges for the Sheyenne River in a reach between Lisbon and Kindred, N. Dak., were about 28.8 cubic feet per second in 1963 and about 45.0 cubic feet per second in 1986. Estimated monthly net evaporation losses for additional flows to the Sheyenne River from the Missouri River ranged from 1.4 cubic feet per second in 1963 to 51.0 cubic feet per second in 1976. Maximum water losses for a reach between Harvey and West Fargo, N. Dak., for 1956-96 ranged from about 161 cubic feet per second for 1976 to about 248 cubic feet per second for 1977. Streamflow gains of 1 to 1.5 cubic feet per second per mile were estimated for the Wild Rice, Sand Hill, and Clearwater Rivers in Minnesota. The average ground-water discharge for a 5.2-mile reach of the Otter Tail River in Minnesota was about 14.1 cubic feet per second in August 1994. The same reach lost about 14.1 cubic feet per second between February 1994 and June 1994 and about 21.2 cubic feet per second between August 1994 and August 1995.

Strategies for preventing domestic violence can be tailored to a particular geographic or socioeconomic area if the patterns of domestic violence in the area are known. National statistics, although widely available, may not be applicable to a specific region. We reviewed homicide deaths in EasternNorth Carolina between 1978 and 1999 to identify patterns in this rural area. Approximately 20% of the homicide deaths in easternNorth Carolina are caused by intimate partners. Women accounted for 53% of the victims in 1976, similar to national figures but not rising to 72% as seen nationally in 1998. Latinos are an increasing presence in the area, but had only one recorded episode of lethal violence against an intimate partner. Gunshots accounted for most of the deaths (59% in men, 72% in women). Knowledge of such patterns can assist in selecting prevention strategies for this particular area. Over the last 25 years increasing attention has been devoted to domestic violence (DV), initially defined as abuse committed against a spouse, former spouse, fiancée, boy- or girlfriend, or cohabitant. As time has passed, the definition has been broadened to include other family members--elders, children, and siblings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now uses the term "intimate partner violence" for intentional emotional or physical abuse inflicted by a spouse, ex-spouse, a present or former boy- or girlfriend, or date. For the purposes of this paper, we consider DV interchangeable with intimate partner violence. There has been a national concern that abusive events are under-reported. The National Crime Victimization Survey, an anonymous household survey, indicated nearly 1 million incidents of non-lethal intimate partner violence per year between 1992 and 1996. The number decreased from 1.1 million in 1993 to 840,000 in 1996. Attempts to validate such data for a given geographic area often require subjects to violate anonymity--this may account for lower

An airborne high sensitivity gamma-ray spectrometer and magnetometer survey was conducted over eleven (11) 2/sup 0/ x 1/sup 0/ NTMS quadrangles located in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin and seven (7) 2/sup 0/ x 1/sup 0/ NTMS quadrangles in North and South Dakota. The quadrangles located within the North and South Dakota survey area include Devil's Lake, New Rockford, Jamestown, Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell, and Sioux Falls. This report discusses the results obtained over the New Rockford map area. Traverse lines were flown in an east-west direction at a line spacing of six (6) miles. Tie lines were flown north-south approximately twenty-four (24) miles apart. A total of 21,481 line miles of geophysical data were acquired, compiled, and interpreted during the survey, of which 1397 line miles are in this quadrangle. The purpose of this study is to acquire and compile geologic and other information with which to assess the magnitude and distribution of uranium resources and to determine areas favorable for the occurrence of uranium in the United States.

Meningoccocal disease causes substantial morbidity and mortality; approximately 10% of cases are fatal. Among those who survive, 10%-15% have long-term sequelae. Nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis is a precursor to disease; however, the majority of carriers do not develop disease. Household and other close contacts of persons with meningococcal disease have a higher risk for carriage and therefore invasive disease. These persons should receive antibiotic chemoprophylaxis to eliminate nasopharyngeal carriage of N. meningitidis as soon as possible. The rate of secondary disease for close contacts is highest immediately after onset of disease in the index patient; secondary cases rarely occur after 14 days. Ciprofloxacin, a second-generation fluoroquinolone, is an effective single-dose oral chemoprophylaxis agent. Although isolated cases of ciprofloxacin-resistant meningoccocal disease have been described in Argentina, Australia, China, France, India, and Spain, resistance has not been reported in North America. This report describes a cluster of three cases of fluoroquinolone-resistant meningococcal disease that occurred among residents of the border area of NorthDakota and Minnesota during January 2007-January 2008. The first of these cases was epidemiologically linked and had closely related molecular features to a 2006 case of fluoroquinolone-susceptible meningococcal disease that occurred in the same geographic region. Until further notice, ciprofloxacin should not be used for chemoprophylaxis of close contacts of persons with meningococcal disease in selected counties in NorthDakota and Minnesota. Ceftriaxone, rifampin, and azithromycin are alternative agents. PMID:18288075

Coyote (Canis latrans) families studied in NorthDakota during 1976 to 1978 contained three or more adults during the spring-summer season, and they occupied large contiguous, non-overlapping territories. Coyote territories averaged 61 km2 during the spring-summer season and 30 km2 during fall-winter season. Three of four families occupied territories that were similar in size for two consecutive years; however, boundaries changed within individual families when one or both alpha adults were killed. All coyotes replacing dead alpha adults were 1 year old.

Statistical summaries of streamflow data for the periods of record through water year 2009 for selected active and discontinued U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in NorthDakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan were compiled. The summaries for each streamflow-gaging station include a brief station description, a graph of the annual peak and annual mean discharge for the period of record, statistics of monthly and annual mean discharges, monthly and annual flow durations, probability of occurrence of annual high discharges, annual peak discharge and corresponding gage height for the period of record, and monthly and annual mean discharges for the period of record.

The following document represents a summary overview of the data collected by the University of NorthDakota Citation research aircraft during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Cirrus IFO-2. The purpose of this report is to provide a quick-look summary of select parameters to FIRE investigators to assist in the use of this data set. The full data set resides in the FIRE archive. The data presented in this report should be considered preliminary and should not be used for reproduction.

Photogrammetric mapping techniques were used to derive the water storage capacities of natural wetland depressions other than lakes in the Devils Lake Basin of NorthDakota. Results from sample quarter-section areas were expanded to the entire basin. Depressions in the Devils Lake Basin have a maximum storage capacity of nearly 811,000 cubic dekameters (657,000 acre-feet). The depressions store about 72 percent of the total runoff volume from a 2-year-frequency runoff and about 41 percent of the total runoff volume from a 100-year-frequency runoff.

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are colonial nesters, making them susceptible to site-specific mortality factors. One of the largest known breeding colonies is at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in NorthDakota. In 2004, this colony suffered total reproductive failure. In 2005, we collected abandoned eggs from this colony to test for environmental contaminants. Nine eggs were analyzed for 28 organochlorine pesticides, total polychlorinated biphenyls, and 26 inorganic elements. Based on concentrations in this sample of eggs and levels linked to reproductive problems in birds, adult pelicans in the Chase Lake breeding colony are not at known risk from any of the environmental contaminants we measured.

Governmental units that have been identified as having flood hazard areas but do not have detailed base flood information are required to use the ' best available data ' to regulate new development or expansion of existing development in flood prone areas. Information for flood plain management has been identified for 31 governmental units in NorthDakota and includes the determination of what data are available regarding flood hazards, hydraulics, and hydrology, and a review of these data to determine their adequacy for use in flood plain management. (USGS)

Considerable interest is currently being shown in the concept of local processing of agricultural products. The production of sunflowers in NorthDakota has shown tremendous growth over the past years. Cash receipts from sunflowers have made it the second most important cash crop in the state. It is felt that the plant can be justified as an energy producing facility. A sunflower crushing plant has to be feasible when competing as a producer of oil within traditional markets. The use of the oil as a source of energy is to be considered as an intangible benefit to the community, if sunflower oil is found to be an acceptable fuel.

Temporal stability of morphometric measurements is desirable when using avian morphology as a predictor of geographic origin. Therefore, to assess their temporal stability, we examined changes in morphology of Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) from central NorthDakota during summer. Measurements differed among age classes and between sexes. As expected, due to growth and maturation, measurements on hatching-year birds increased over summer. Measurements of adult plumage fluctuated with prebasic molt and exhibited age-specific discontinuities. Body mass of adult birds increased over summer, whereas both culmen length and skull length decreased. Only body length and length of internal skeletal elements were temporally stable in adult Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

Spectral data from the LANDSAT-2 satellite were used to study the growth cycles of fields of wheat, barley, alfalfa, corn, sunflowers, soybeans, rye, flax, oats, millet, grass, and hay. Signatures of pastures, trees, and idle fallow were also studied. The growth cycles were portrayed in the form of temporal plots of the greeness-brightness transformation vector applied to average channel pixel values within the fields, all of which were in three counties in NorthDakota. The plots of each crop reveal characteristics which can be used in crop classification procedures.

Governmental units that have been identified as having flood hazard areas but do not have detailed base flood information are required to use the ' best available data ' to regulate new development or expansion of existing development in flood prone areas. Information for flood plain management has been identified for 95 governmental units in NorthDakota and includes the determination of what data are available regarding flood hazards, hydraulics, and hydrology, and a review of these data to determine their adequacy for use in flood plain management. (USGS)

Reservoirs on tributaries of the Red River of the North provide water for Fargo and Grand Forks, N. Dak., and other cities along the river. Adequate estimates of evaporative losses from the reservoirs are needed to determine the total water supply in the Basin. Many equations could be used to estimate lake or reservoir evaporation. However, in addition to measurements of air temperature, the equations require measurements of net radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity. Evaporation and air temperature data from energy budget evaporation sites at Wetland P1 in NorthDakota and at Williams Lake in Minnesota are available. Air temperature data collected from climate stations near Lake Ashtabula in NorthDakota, from Orwell Lake in Minnesota, and from Lake Traverse in Minnesota and South Dakota also are available. Therefore, the combined data sets were used to estimate monthly evaporation from Lake Ashtabula, Orwell Lake, and Lake Traverse. Averaged monthly mean air temperatures determined for each reservoir study site were used to calculate monthly evaporation data sets for 1931-2001. Results from the procedure that estimates reservoir evaporation indicate that slight downward trends in annual evaporation occurred from 1931-2001. The trends may have been caused by the selected time period of the study, which began with the drought conditions in the mid 1930's and ended with the more wet conditions in the late 1990's. Average annual evaporation values for each reservoir for 1931-2001 correspond well with published average annual lake evaporation values for 1946-55.

We evaluated changes in wetland abundance, size, and classification between average (19791986) and above-average (19951999) precipitation periods for two physiographic regions in eastern South Dakota. Temporal shifts in wetland numbers, area, and class varied by topographic location. In high wetland density areas (> 8 wetlands/100 ha), our data suggests that larger, semipermanent wetlands expanded and absorbed nearby wetland basins into their margins, resulting in a net "loss" or disappearance of temporary and seasonal wetlands in above-average water condition years. "Losses" described here are not deemed permanent as in cases of draining or filling, and wetlands may re-form when water conditions return to normal. Nevertheless, temporary disappearance of smaller more isolated wetlands may have implications for breeding waterfowl and other fauna. Percent change of semipermanent basin numbers was positively correlated with wetland density, whereas the opposite was true for seasonal wetlands. Loss of temporary wetlands was correlated with wetland aggregation within the sample area. However, in low wetland density areas, the number and size of seasonal and temporary wetlands generally increased following above-average precipitation. We suggest that wetlands' spatial arrangement be considered along with traditional wetland quantification techniques to better account for shifts in wetland habitat in dry versus wet years. ?? 2009 The Society of Wetland Scientists.

The time period and the pioneer conditions that existed when north central and northwestern NorthDakota were settled determined the type of rural schools that were established there. Those areas were settled between 1885 and 1910. Most of the settlers in that area of the state were of Scandinavian (particularly Norwegian) extraction. The vast…

A comparison was made among the CEAS crop reporting district (CRD), agrophysical unit (APU), and state level multiple regression yield models for corn and soybeans in Iowa and barley and spring wheat in NorthDakota. The best predictions were made by the state model for NorthDakota spring wheat, by the APU models for barley, by the CRD models for Iowa soybeans, and by APU covariance models for Iowa corn. Because of this lack of consistency of model performance, CRD models would be recommended due to the availability of the data.

Oil and natural gas development in the Bakken shale play of NorthDakota has grown substantially since 2008. This study provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of water quantity and management impacts from this development by (1) estimating water demand for hydraulic fracturing in the Bakken from 2008 to 2012; (2) compiling volume estimates for maintenance water, or brine dilution water; (3) calculating water intensities normalized by the amount of oil produced, or estimated ultimate recovery (EUR); (4) estimating domestic water demand associated with the large oil services population; (5) analyzing the change in wastewater volumes from 2005 to 2012; and (6) examining existing water sources used to meet demand. Water use for hydraulic fracturing in the NorthDakota Bakken grew 5-fold from 770 million gallons in 2008 to 4.3 billion gallons in 2012. First-year wastewater volumes grew in parallel, from an annual average of 1,135,000 gallons per well in 2008 to 2,905,000 gallons in 2012, exceeding the mean volume of water used in hydraulic fracturing and surpassing typical 4-year wastewater totals for the Barnett, Denver, and Marcellus basins. Surprisingly, domestic water demand from the temporary oilfield services population in the region may be comparable to the regional water demand from hydraulic fracturing activities. Existing groundwater resources are inadequate to meet the demand for hydraulic fracturing, but there appear to be adequate surface water resources, provided that access is available. PMID:26866674

Since the 2003 launch of NC Health Info, the National Library of Medicine has encouraged the development of Go Local databases. A team of Go Local enthusiasts at NorthDakota's only medical school library wanted to obtain NLM funding and build a resource for their rural state. Although short on staff, money, and time, the team found a way to realize a Go Local database that serves the state's residents and helps them "Discover Health Services Near You!" A team approach and collaboration with health providers and organizations worked well in this small rural state. NorthDakota's Go Local project offers a low-cost model that stresses collaboration, teamwork and technology. Part I, which appears in this issue, describes the rural setting, explains how the project was conceived, and the processes necessary to begin building the database. Part II, which will appear in the next issue, details how records were created, including developing the input style guide and indexing decisions, the NLM testing and review process, the maintenance and auditing process, and publicity and promotion of the project. PMID:20448842

Since the 2003 launch of NC Health Info, the National Library of Medicine has encouraged the development of Go Local databases. A team of Go Local enthusiasts at NorthDakota's only medical school library wanted to obtain NLM funding and build a resource for their rural state. Although short on staff, money, and time, the team found a way to realize a Go Local database that serves the state's residents and helps them "Discover Health Services Near You!" A team approach and collaboration with health providers and organizations worked well in this small rural state. NorthDakota's Go Local project offers a low-cost model that stresses collaboration, teamwork and technology. Part I which appeared in the last issue describes the rural setting, explains how the project was conceived, and the processes necessary to begin building the database. Part II which appears in this issue details how records were created including developing the input style guide and indexing decisions, the NLM testing and review process, the maintenance and auditing process, and publicity and promotion of the project. PMID:20436944

Blackbird (family lcteridae) depredation on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) crops in the prairie states of the United States has motivated the proposed use of an avicide, DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methylaniline), to decrease their numbers. The resulting mortality of blackbirds at wetland roosts could increase the potential of avian botulism occurring in affected marshes. To assess this possibility, we seeded (artificially placed) blackbird carcasses in selected wetlands in Stutsman County, NorthDakota, during August-September 2000 and July-September 2001 to evaluate their rate of decomposition and role in initiating avian botulism outbreaks. We monitored carcasses to determine their persistence, the frequency and amount of maggots produced, and the presence of type C botulinum toxin. In 10 of our 12 study wetlands, blackbird carcasses were not rapidly removed by scavengers, thus providing substrate for maggot growth and potential production of Clostridium botulinum toxin. Decomposition of carcasses occurred rapidly, and maggot production averaged 4a??5 g per carcass within 9 days. We were unable to detect C. botulinum type C toxin in any of the 377 blackbird carcasses or the 112 samples of maggots we collected in 2000 or 2001. None of the 25 blackbird carcasses we tested contained botulinum spores, the most probable explanation for the absence of botulinum toxin production. Our results indicate that the likelihood of DRC-1339-poisoned blackbirds causing botulism outbreaks would be minimal in NorthDakota wetlands during late summer and early autumn.

NorthDakota has the least extensive total area of forested habitats of any of the 50 United States. Although occurring in limited area, forest communities add considerably to the total ecological diversity of the State. The forests of the Pembina Hills region in northeastern NorthDakota are one of only three areas large enough to be considered of commercial value. During 1981 the authors studied the avifauna of the upper valley of the Pembina River in the Pembina Hills. Field work extended from 20 April to 23 July; breeding bird censuses were conducted 7 June to 2 July. Of the 120 bird species recorded during the study period, 79 species were recorded during the breeding season. The total breeding population was estimated at nearly 76,000 breeding pairs. The wood warblers (Parulidae) were the most numerous family, accounting for about 28,000 breeding pairs. The yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) was the most abundant breeding species, making up 19.4% of the population. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) was second in abundance, accounting for 10.5% of the breeding population. Largest breeding densities occurred in the willow (Salix sp.) shrub community.

We studied 630 acres of roadside along 23 miles of Interstate 94 in Stutsman County, NorthDakota, to assess wildlife values of highway rights-of-way. We found 422 duck nests that had an overall success of 57 percent in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Mammalian predators were responsible for 85 percent of the destroyed nests. To test the effect of mowing on duck nest initiation and success, alternate 1-mile blocks of the study area were not mowed in the fall of 1968. In 1969 and 1970, significantly more ducks chose unmowed vegetation in preference to mowed vegetation for nest sites. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), pintails (A. acuta), and gadwalls (A. strepera) were especially responsive to unmowed vegetation. Success of duck nests in unmowed vegetation was 62 percent compared with 51 percent in mowed vegetation. Sixteen percent of the nests were unhatched by July 5, the beginning mowing date previously recommended by the NorthDakota Highway Department. Wildlife killed by traffic did not increase when half the mile blocks were unmowed, and no significant difference was observed in buildup of snow between mowed and unmowed blocks in the winter of 1968-69. Of 182 motorists interviewed in the study area, 82 percent had not noticed the unmowed rights-of-way. We strongly recommend no mowing of ditch bottoms or back slopes, minimal mowing of inslopes, and no mowing before July 20 to enhance waterfowl nesting and to reduce maintenance costs of highway rights-of-way in duck-producing regions.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, conducted a reconnaissance study to determine the occurrence of emerging contaminants in water and bed sediment within the Missouri River upstream and downstream from the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, NorthDakota, and upstream from the city of Fort Yates, NorthDakota, during September-October 2007. At each site, water samples were collected twice and bed-sediment samples were collected once. Samples were analyzed for more than 200 emerging contaminants grouped into four compound classes - wastewater compounds, human-health pharmaceutical compounds, hormones, and antibiotics. Only sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic, was present at a concentration higher than minimum detection limits. It was detected in a water sample collected downstream from the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, and in bed-sediment samples collected at the two sites downstream from the cities of Bismarck and Mandan and upstream from Fort Yates. Sulfamethoxazole is an antibiotic commonly used for treating bacterial infections in humans and animals.

Dangerously cold weather threatens life and property. During periods of extreme cold due to wind chill, the National Weather Service (NWS) issues wind chill warnings to prompt the public to take action to mitigate risks. Wind chill warnings are based on ambient temperatures and wind speeds. Since 2010, NWS has piloted a new extreme cold warning issued for cold temperatures in wind and nonwind conditions. The NorthDakota Department of Health, NWS, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated in conducting household surveys in Burleigh County, NorthDakota, to evaluate this new warning. The objectives of the evaluation were to assess whether residents heard the new warning and to determine if protective behaviors were prompted by the warning. This was a cross-sectional survey design using the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology to select a statistically representative sample of households from Burleigh County. From 10 to 11 April 2012, 188 door-to-door household interviews were completed. The CASPER methodology uses probability sampling with weighted analysis to estimate the number and percentage of households with a specific response within Burleigh County. The majority of households reported having heard both the extreme cold and wind chill warnings, and both warnings prompted protective behaviors. These results suggest this community heard the new warning and took protective actions after hearing the warning.

As a pilot study for mapping the geochemistry of North American soils, samples were collected along two continental transects extending east–west from Virginia to California, and north–south from northern Manitoba to the US–Mexican border and subjected to geochemical and mineralogical analyses. For the northern Manitoba–NorthDakota segment of the north–south transect, X-ray diffraction analysis and bivariate relations indicate that geochemical properties of soil parent materials may be interpreted in terms of minerals derived from Shield and clastic sedimentary bedrock, and carbonate sedimentary bedrock terranes. The elements Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr and Ti occur primarily in silicate minerals decomposed by aqua regia, likely phyllosilicates, that preferentially concentrate in clay-sized fractions; Cr and Ti also occur in minerals decomposed only by stronger acid. Physical glacial processes affecting the distribution and concentration of carbonate minerals are significant controls on the variation of trace metal background concentrations.

This report provides the text of panel discussions from a working conference on adult/industry education and training. Four key issues facing NorthDakota's education providers are identified: (1) the need for expanded leadership, planning, and a vision for adult and industry education and training; (2) the need for increased financing, both in…

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Select Committee on Hunger.

This document reports the oral and written testimony of 14 witnesses who discussed general health and nutrition problems among American Indians and focused on the high incidence of diabetes among NorthDakota Indians. Diabetes was relatively rare among American Indians before 1940. Nearly one in three members of The Three Affiliated Tribes aged 40…

The Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Division of the NorthDakota Public Service Commission (PSC) is charged with the reclamation of hazardous abandoned mine sites in NorthDakota. Several underground lignite coalmines were operated near the cities of Beulah and Zap, NorthDakota, from the early 1900's until about 1955. Coal seams in this area were relatively thick and the overburden generally shallow. As these mines have deteriorated with time, deep collapse features, or sinkholes, have surfaced in many areas. These features are very dangerous, especially when they occur at or near residential and commercial areas and public roads. In the past five years, sinkholes have surfaced beneath a commercial building (boat dealership, lounge, and gas station) and beneath a nearby occupied mobile home north of Beulah. sinkholes have also surfaced near KHOL Radio Station in Beulah and in the right of way of a public road south of Zap. The AML Division has conducted several emergency sinkhole-filling projects in these areas. In 1995--97, the AML Division conducted exploratory drilling which confirmed the presence of collapsing underground mines at these sites. The remediation of these sites around Beulah/Zap will take place over several years and involve three or more separate contracts due to budget considerations. In 1997, the AML Division began reclamation at these sties utilizing pressurized grout remote backfilling. In this technique, a cementitious grout is pumped through cased drill holes directly into the mine cavities to fill them and thereby stabilize the surface from collapse. The successful contractor for Phase One of the project was The Concrete Doctor, Inc. (TCDI). This paper will concentrate on Phase One of this work performed from June through September 1997. This project is especially interesting because grout was pumped through holes drilled inside the occupied commercial building. Grout was also pumped through angled holes that intercepted mined workings directly

This course guide for a photography course is one of four developed for the graphic communications area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--energy/power and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

Representative Usher Burdick, who sat between 1949-1959, contributed to the isolationist label given to NorthDakota. This Republican politician, not enthusiastic about U.S. participation in the Korean War, eagerly lambasted foreign aid during the Truman-Eisenhower years. Above all, the congressman attracted attention during the postwar period for…

This course guide for a plastic technology course is one of four developed for the production area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--energy/power and graphic communications.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

The purpose of this investigation was to collect baseline data for establishing reclamation objectives and lease stipulations. The report includes data on climate, physiography, geology, coal resources, and overburden. The study area, located in Southwestern NorthDakota, lies within the unglaciated portion of the Great Plains Physiographic Province.

In recent years the number of lawsuits brought by injured secondary school athletes alleging negligence on the part of coaches, school officials, and referees has risen dramatically. This study analyzes the legal liability implications for administrators and others involved in school sports in NorthDakota. An introductory section describes…

This course guide for a transportation course is one of four developed for the energy/power area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--graphic communications and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

This course guide for an industrial crafts course is one of four developed for the production area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--energy/power and graphic communications.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

This guide is designed primarily for use by personnel involved in NorthDakota public school programs for preschool-age handicapped children (ages 3-5). It is also intended to provide parents and personnel in health, human services, and other child service agencies with an understanding of the scope and purpose of educational services for young…

Successful economic development is essential in building and sustaining a healthy community. The purpose of this study was to identify indicators of successful economic development as it pertained to Native American owned businesses located on/or adjacent to NorthDakota reservations. More specifically this study sought to explore specific…

This course guide for a graphic arts course is one of four developed for the graphic communications area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--energy/power and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

This state plan discusses programs and policies to be implemented from fiscal years 1993 through 1995 by the NorthDakota Department of Public Instruction in implementing Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The plan document begins with federally required submissions, assurances, certifications, and other administrative…

A recurring issue in the library field is the possible merger of public and school libraries into one joint venture with a single administration. In anticipation of increased emphasis on library consolidation in the future, a brief analysis of NorthDakota's current library situation reveals that it is characterized by inconsistent service, scarce…

This course guide for an energy sources course is one of four developed for the energy/power area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--graphic communications and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

To educate the small business entrepreneur on a continuing basis over three years, a model was developed to meet the specific needs of NorthDakota business entrepreneurs and the educational institutions serving them. Enrollment in the program at Lake Region Junior College was limited the first year to twenty businesses and was increased the…

Conducted as part of a Farm Management Education Research and Development Project which was examining the use of variations of the Farm Management Education Program in meeting the managerial needs of agribusinesses, the descriptive study reported here was done to determine attitudes of 359 farm implement dealership managers in NorthDakota towards…

A majority of the private sector members on the Roundtable on Higher Education (See Attachment-A) gathered at the Corporate Adventures training center in Kathryn, NorthDakota, on April 5, 2006. Also attending were Senator Ray Holmberg, Chair of the Roundtable on Higher Education and Eddie Dunn on behalf of Dr. Robert Potts, Chancellor of the…

This course guide for a wood technology course is one of four developed for the production area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--energy/power and graphic communications.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

This course guide for a power technology course is one of four developed for the energy/power area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--graphic communications and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a definition and…

As an appendix to "Evaluation of White Shield School, Roseglen, NorthDakota. Part A", August 1974, this document substantiated findings of an evaluation team. A brief on-site visitation report stated that students wanted more flexible course requirements and firmer student discipline; teachers wanted more authority clarification on discipline…

This report provides information on degree and certificate programs offered and student program completions for fiscal year 2008-09 in NorthDakota's public and private postsecondary educational institutions. Institutional programs are coded in accordance with the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP Code) system provided by the National…

Context: Few studies have examined pharmacists' level of patient care competence and need for continuous professional development in rural areas. Purpose: To assess NorthDakota pharmacists' practice setting, perceived level of patient care competencies, and the need for professional development in urban and rural areas. Methods: A survey was…

In response to a request from concerned Indian members of the community of Roseglen, NorthDakota, an evaluation team visited White Shield School (an elementary/secondary school of 303 students, 50 percent Indian) on May 13-17, 1974 to survey: identification and classification of goals, objectives, and purposes; distinguishing between perceptions…

The objective of the Tax, Legal and Regulatory Analysis section of the study was to evaluate the basic tax, legal and regulatory premises upon which the Project and other parts of the study are based. The major part of these analyses concern federal income tax principles affecting the construction of a large-scale alternative energy project, particularly the application of the investment and energy tax credits, the recovery of costs through depreciation, treatment of pre-construction expenditures, capitalization of real property construction period interest, and leasing and project organization principles. Portions of the tax analysis were revised after their completion because of the passage in late August of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (the 1982 Tax Act), which makes important changes in the law. NorthDakota state principles are also discussed. The balance of the legal report deals with non-income tax and tariff matters, permit requirements, federal coal leasing principles, prehistory and cultural resources, legal title to the project site, Federal Clean Air Act considerations, and other regulatory matters.

As astronomy is a subject largely absent in the secondary classroom for many reasons, the research presented here attempts to make astronomy education an option for high school students across the state of NorthDakota. Through implementation of a two-week astronomy course at Grand Forks Central High School (GFCHS), two class periods totaling nineteen physics students (fourteen in the first class period and five in the second class period) were given the opportunity to learn material that would have otherwise been unavailable to them. Four of these students were female and fifteen of these students were male. During ten class periods from April 16, 2012 through April 27, 2012, instruction included presentation of basic astronomy concepts and observational techniques as well as student participation in demonstrations and activities regarding the course content. Students were given the option to visit the University of NorthDakota (UND) Observatory the evening of April 20, 2012 for a public “star party” where they received a tour of the university's telescopes and other research equipment. During class time on April 25, 2012, students took a field trip to the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences to tour both Aviation and Space Studies facilities at UND. The lesson plan for the course also included a group project utilizing the telescopes at the UND Observatory for remote observing to complete research on the astrometry of an asteroid. Students were given a pre-test at the start of the two-week course, daily exit surveys at the end of each class period, and a post-test at the end of the two-week course. These assessments were used to evaluate student enjoyment, progress, and overall perception of the astronomy course. This research identified common misconceptions in astronomy held by the learners as well as the most effective teaching methods. It was found that this course was overall successful in promoting the students' learning of astronomy in a short

The integration of geospatial technologies into the curriculum of Tribal Colleges (TCU's) has quietly emerged as one of the leading initiatives across Indian Country. Currently, there are over 54,000 American Indians residing on and managing greater than 3.8 million acres of Tribal land in NorthDakota and parts of South Dakota. The reservations are undergoing extremely fast population growth within rural states that are experiencing rapid population declines. This poses an important dilemma. How will the Tribes meet (1) the resource needs of a growing population, (2) the demand for a skilled workforce, and (3) resource management goals in ways that contribute to Tribal infrastructure and equate to sustainable resource management? Creating cadres of indigenous scientists that possess skills in geospatial technologies to manage Tribal resources is the key to filling this important Tribal niche. Further, successfully building these cadres will require effective and viable partnerships among the academic, scientific and geospatial communities. The objective of this project is to illustrate the growing trend in geospatial applications and curriculum development occurring in TCU's to meet Tribal workforce demands and to identify successful partnership strategies for TCU's to link with private, State and Federal Agencies. Preliminary results suggest that developing strength-based collaborations that create an environment of investment and ownership by all participants proves an effective model for meeting partnership objectives. A number of these projects and the mechanisms that define the successful collaborations will be illustrated.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a limited site investigation and risk analyses for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and groundwater at a Construction Services, Inc., site in Watford City, NorthDakota. Site investigation confirmed the presence of free product and high concentrations of residual gasoline-based contaminants in several wells, the presence of 1,2-dichloroethane, and extremely high levels of electrical conductivity indicative of brine residuals in the tank area south of the facility. The risk analysis was based on compilation of information from the site-specific geotechnical investigation, including multiphase extraction pilot test, laser induced fluorescence probing, evaluation of contaminant properties, receptor survey, capture zone analysis and evaluation of well head protection area for municipal well field. The project results indicate that the risks associated with contaminant occurrence at the Construction Services, Inc. site are low and, under current conditions, there is no direct or indirect exposure pathway between the contaminated groundwater and soils and potential receptors.

Populations and distribution of breeding birds occupying wooded draws were studied in a five-county region of western NorthDakota during June 1982. Wooded draw vegetation was dominated by green ash, which occurred in 96% of the draws sampled. Chokecherry and juneberry were the most frequent shrub species. I recorded 49 bird species in the 30 draws censused. Rufous-sided towhee, brown-headed cowbird, house wren, and American goldfinch were the most numerous bird species present. Significant correlations were found between (1) the number of live trees and bird species evenness, (2) density of dead trees and bird species diversity and richness, (3) density of shrubs with bird species evenness, and (4) foliage volume in the high ground layer and bird species evenness.

This dissertation comprises of five qualitative and exploratory studies. The studies focus on the social and economic impacts of rapid shale oil development, which is colloquially referred to as an "oil boom" on the communities and its members in western NorthDakota. The dissertation presents a detailed exploration of the impacts and implications of the boom on community values and attitudes, quality of life, and community development. Impact of the boom on each topic is presented as an independent article or chapter. The data for the dissertation was collected through open-ended, face-to-face interviews. The findings highlight the opportunities created by the boom, barriers inhibiting community development, and the solutions necessary to achieve the community development potential created by the economic activity of the oil boom.

NorthDakota, as a rural state with a decentralized public health system, has found the National Public Health Performance Standards Program useful in assessing performance of the state's public health system. The local instrument was used for local public health systems and on Native American reservations. A description of the process as well as aggregated results of the local performance assessment is presented. An importance ranking scale was combined with the performance scores to identify priority areas. Priority needs were specifically identified for developing community health profiles, working more closely with community partnerships, and increasing emphasis on health education activities. The process was a good opportunity for bringing partners together in local public health systems and for developing interest in using the more complete strategic planning tools in Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships. PMID:16103817

Use of basin wetlands by breeding populations of 12 species of waterfowl was investigated in 1965 and during 1967-69 throughout the prairie pothole region of NorthDakota. Data were obtained primarily by random sampling techniques. Of the total population occupying natural basin wetlands 55 percent occupied seasonal and 36 percent occupied semipermanent wetlands. Seasonal wetlands contained 60 percent of the population of dabbling ducks, while semipermanent wetlands supported 75 percent of the population of diving ducks. On basins with ponded water, highest concentrations of breeding pairs occurred on temporary, seasonal, and semipermanent wetlands; moderate concentrations were recorded on ephemeral, fen, and undifferentiated tillage wetlands, and low concentrations occurred on permanent and alkali wetlands. The proportion of basins that retained ponded water had a direct bearing on the value of each type of wetland to breeding waterfowl. Relative values of the more intermittent types of wetlands are greatly increased during years of ample precipitation.

Wetland characteristics were assessed from a systematic sample of 66 plots, 3.22 km2 each, drawn from a 10,041-km2 study area in central NorthDakota. Each plot was visited once and 8 sets of aerial photographs were obtained in 3 years. Density of wetland basins was 11.00 ha/km2, and area averaged 9.7 ha/km2. Seasonal and temporary wetlands were most abundant; semipermanent wetlands occupied the greatest area. Basin size was positively correlated with water permanence. Discriminant function analysis based on size and an index to wetness derived from photographs misclassified 33% of the wetland basins. Forty percent of the wetlands were tilled. Photography of sample plots is potentially useful for determining number of basins and wetland area, but precise classification of plant communities in this region would require ground study.

The author has identified the following significant results. The green number and brightness scatter plots, channel plots of radiance values, and visual study of the imagery indicate separability between barley and spring wheat/oats during the wheat mid-heading to mid-ripe stages. In the LACIE Phase 3 NorthDakota data set, the separation time is more specifically the wheat soft dough stage. At this time, the barley is ripening, and is therefore, less green and brighter than the wheat. Only 4 of the 18 segments studied indicate separation of barley/other spring small grain, even though 11 of the segments have acquisitions covering the wheat soft dough stage. The remaining seven segments had less than 5 percent barley based on ground truth data.

A breeding bird census and plant survey was conducted on 180 samples of lightly, moderately, and heavily grazed and hayed native grasslands in NorthDakota in 1974. The ten most important cover plants on each of eight major physiographic landforms in three of the four regions (the Agassiz Lake Plain excluded) overlapped so extensively that only 19 species were involved: 13 grasses or sedges, four forbs, one shrub, and one clubmoss. Bird densities were generally highest in (i) regions and landforms containing numerous natural basin wetlands, (ii) flatter, glaciated landforms containing more fertile soils, and (iii) landforms of greater relief and high habitat heterogeneity. Avian species richness tended to decrease with increased grazing intensity, but total bird density increased due to higher populations of a few species, and hayland that had been mowed and raked during the previous growing season was highly attractive to some species.

Natural gas extracted from shale formations accounts for 40% of the domestic U.S. natural gas supply. Although natural gas combustion emits less carbon dioxide per energy produced than other fossil fuels, this climate benefit may be offset by the methane emitted to the atmosphere through leaks in the natural gas production and distribution infrastructure. To better understand the climate impacts of the oil and natural gas extracted from the Bakken shale play in NorthDakota, we present airborne measurements of methane taken over this region aboard a NOAA Twin Otter aircraft during Spring 2014. Using the mass balance technique, we estimate methane emissions from the region with four flights intended for this purpose in May 2014. We further attribute these methane emissions to the oil and gas industry using measurements of ethane and other hydrocarbons aboard the Twin Otter.

An operational aerial application of parathion to sunflower fields resulted in greater or equal spray deposit in wetlands adjacent to or surrounded by sunflower fields than in the sunflower fields. In another application, when the applicator attempted to avoid contamination of the wetlands, parathion still drifted into wetlands in detectable amounts; in 2 of 4 comparisons, spray deposit in wetlands and sunflower fields did not differ. Weather during both spray operations was ideal for NorthDakota, Le., wind speeds <16 km/ hour, excellent visibility, and temperature <24 C. We review how spray droplet size, weather, terrain, and type of application equipment interact to determine the amount of drift from any application of pesticide. With this information, wildlife managers should be able to make decisions pertaining to insecticide applications that will minimize drift and reduce negative impacts to nontarget organisms

Fourteen basins for which the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System has been calibrated and evaluated were selected as study sites. Precipitation Runoff Modeling System is a deterministic, distributed parameter watershed model developed to evaluate the effects of various combinations of precipitation, temperature, and land use on streamflow and general basin hydrology. Output from five General Circulation Model simulations and four emission scenarios were used to develop an ensemble of climate-change scenarios for each basin. These ensembles were simulated with the corresponding Precipitation Runoff Modeling System model. This fact sheet summarizes the hydrologic effect and sensitivity of the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System simulations to climate change for the Starkweather Coulee Basin near Webster, NorthDakota.

Models based on multiple regression were developed to estimate barley yield and spring wheat yield from weather data for Agrophysical units(APU) in NorthDakota. The predictor variables are derived from monthly average temperature and monthly total precipitation data at meteorological stations in the cooperative network. The models are similar in form to the previous models developed for Crop Reporting Districts (CRD). The trends and derived variables were the same and the approach to select the significant predictors was similar to that used in developing the CRD models. The APU models show sight improvements in some of the statistics of the models, e.g., explained variation. These models are to be independently evaluated and compared to the previously evaluated CRD models. The comparison will indicate the preferred model area for this application, i.e., APU or CRD.

This volume consists of a Dakota-English dictionary. The Dakota, commonly known as the Sioux, forms the leading and best known division of the Siouan linguistic family. The Dakota language now consists of three well defined dialects, the Santee, Yankton and Teton.

The Middle Devonian Dawson Bay Formation carbonate unit is present in the subsurface of NorthDakota except where truncated by postdepositional erosion. The carbonate unit thickens from the erosional limit to a maximum thickness of 47.5 m (156 ft) in Renville County and reaches a maximum depth of 3798 m (12,460 ft) below the surface in McKenzie County. In NorthDakota, a submarine hardground separates the carbonate unit from the underlying second red bed member of the Dawson Bay Formation. The upper contact with the Souris River Formation is conformable except in those areas where the Dawson Bay Formation was exposed to subaerial erosion prior to deposition of the Souris River sediments. The Dawson Bay carbonate unit is predominantly dolomitic and fossiliferous limestone or fossiliferous dolostone. The carbonate unit can be subdivided into five lithofacies on the basis of characteristic fossil fauna, flora, and other lithologic features. Lithofacies analysis of the Dawson Bay carbonates suggests a shallowing-upward succession of depositional environments and associated energy zones as follows: shallow epeiric sea (very low energy), stromatoporoid biostrome/bioherm (low energy), very shallow epeiric sea (very low energy), restricted shallow epeiric sea (extremely low energy), and shallow epeiric sea shoreline (variable energy). Eogenetic diagenesis includes color-mottling, dolomitization of micrite to microcrystalline dolomite with penecontemporaneous anhydrite replacement of cryptalgal mudstones and boundstones, cementation by sparry calcite, and vuggy porosity development. Mesogenetic diagenesis includes formation of mosaic dolomites, cementation by blocky equant calcite, neomorphism, pressure-solution, fracturing, halite cementation, and hydrocarbon emplacement.

Recreational activity at campsites can cause compaction and metal contamination of soils. This study compared the bulk densities, penetration resistance values, organic matter contents, and Zn, Mn, and Cu contents of soils sampled from zones of varying recreational activity within the campsites at Strawberry Lake, NorthDakota, USA. The results of this study showed that there were statistically significant increases in the soil bulk densities and soil penetration resistance values compared to the controls. However, the low recreational intensity has not compacted the surface soils beyond an average of 1.36 g cm-3, which is not dense enough to hinder the root growth of the surrounding vegetation. There were no statistically significant differences between the soil organic matter content of the different activity zones at the 95% confidence interval. Zinc values were four orders of magnitude and Cu values three to four orders of magnitude below US EPA guideline limits. The EPA does not have guidelines for Mn, but Mn levels were lower than reported typical natural values for a nearby area. Therefore, metal contents were not high enough to be of concern. Taken together, these results were interpreted to indicate that the low-intensity camping activities that occur at Strawberry Lake campground have not had a significant negative impact on the soils found there. Additional information on this study can be found in Tibor and Brevik (2013). Reference Tibor, M.A., and E.C. Brevik. 2013. Anthropogenic Impacts on Campsite Soils at Strawberry Lake, NorthDakota. Soil Horizons 54: doi:10.2136/sh13-06-0016.

A network analysis technique using generalized least-squares regression was used to evaluate the current (1993) peak-flow gaging network that provides regional peak-flow information for NorthDakota. The analysis was conducted to evaluate the current (1993) network and to determine if reactivating discontinued gaging stations and adding new gaging stations on small drainage areas would improve regional peak-flow information. Peak flows having recurrence intervals of 15, 50, and 100 years and planning horizons of zero and 10 years for three hydrologic regions in NorthDakota were used in the network analysis. Results of the network analysis indicate that the average sampling mean-square error could be reduced by about 10 percent for the 15-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence intervals by reactivating a minimum of two to five discontinued gaging stations in each hydrologic region. The reactivated discontinued gaging stations added to the current (1993) network should be located on streams having small drainage areas and steep main-channel slopes. For the 15-year recurrence interval and a 10-year planning horizon, adding a new gaging station at two new locations in each region instead of reactivating two discontinued gaging stations in each region would reduce the average sampling mean-square error by an average of about 13 percent in each region. The new gaging stations added to the current (1993) network should be located on streams having small drainage areas and mild or steep main-channel slopes in order to obtain improved regional peak-flow information.

There is a global interest to quantify and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) (e.g. methane-CH4, nitrous oxide-N2O and carbon dioxide-CO2) emissions in animal feeding operations. The goal of this study was to quantify GHG emissions from the feedlot pen surface under NorthDakota climatic conditions. In this study gaseous flux from the pen surfaces was generated using a custom-made wind tunnel at different times of the year (summer, fall, winter and spring). Gaseous fluxes (air samples) were drawn in the Tedlar bags using a vacuum chamber and gas concentrations were measured using a gas chromatograph within 24 h of sampling. The CH4 concentrations and flux rates (FRs) or flux among the months were not significantly different. Overall CH4, CO2 and N2O concentrations over a 7-month period were 2.66, 452 and 0.67 ppm, respectively. Estimated overall CH4, CO and N2O FRs were 1.32, 602 and 0.90 g m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Estimated emission rates using the wind tunnel were 38 g hd(-1) d(-1), 17 kg hd(-1) d(-1) and 26 g hd(-1) d(-1) for CH4, CO2 and N2O, respectively. The emission factors for GHG estimated in the research for NorthDakota climate were the first of its kind, and these emission estimates can be used as a basis for planning and implementing management practices to minimize GHG emissions. PMID:24191457

Devils Lake is a natural lake in northeastern NorthDakota that is the terminus of a nearly 4,000-square-mile subbasin in the Red River of the North Basin. The lake has not reached its natural spill elevation to the Sheyenne River (a tributary of the Red River of the North) in recorded history. However, geologic evidence indicates a spill occurred sometime within the last 1,800 years. From 1993 to 1999, Devils Lake rose 24.5 feet and, at the present (August 2000), is about 13 feet below the natural spill elevation. The recent lake-level rise has caused flood damages exceeding $300 million and triggered development of future flood-control options to prevent further infrastructure damage and reduce the risk of a potentially catastrophic uncontrolled spill. Construction of an emergency outlet from the west end of Devils Lake to the Sheyenne River is one flood-control option being considered. This report describes the climatologic and hydrologic causes of the recent lake level rise, provides information on the potential for continued lake-level rises during the next 15 years, and describes the potential effectiveness of an emergency outlet in reducing future lake levels and in reducing the risk of an uncontrolled spill. The potential effects of an outlet on downstream water quantity and quality in the upper Sheyenne River also are described.

EasternNorth America has been considered a tectonically inactive region since the Jurassic Period. This view has been enhanced by global tectonic theory, which has labeled easternNorth America as the passive trailing margin of the continent, which is now situated in an intraplate position of the North American plate. Such an interpretation does not provide an obvious explanation for any type of tectonism in an intraplate position. However, evidence now suggests that easternNorth America experienced significant tectonism since the Jurassic Period. Evidence supporting such an interpretation includes: large earthquakes, widespread post-Jurassic faulting and volcanism, extensive downwarping of the continental margin accompanied by sedimentation of geosynclinal proportions, and the Appalachian mountain range that has remained topographically high for long periods of time since the end of the Paleozoic era. It is proposed that this tectonism is due to a number of interacting plate relationships, beginning in the Early Cretaceous, which retarded the westward movement of the North American continent. The slowing down of the North American plate produced a situation where sub-crustal flow became faster than continental crustal movement resulting in drag forces below the eastern margin of the continent. Accretion along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge gradually increased compressive stress on easternNorth America. The first retardation to crustal movement began in the Cretaceous Period when the Alaska-Kolyma arm of the North American plate collided with Eurasia. From the Late Cretaceous through the Eocene, two major plate reorganizations in the Atlantic Ocean may have caused extensive faulting and widespread volcanism in easternNorth America. From the Eocene to the Present, a number of additional retarding obstructions to the westward movement of the North American plate include: overriding the East Pacific Rise, triple junctions, hot spots, complex subduction relationships, and

Phenology and abundance of bean leaf beetles, Cerotoma trifurcata (Förster), were examined throughout two eastern South Dakota growing seasons in relation to grain yields in chisel- and ridge-tilled soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] grown in 2-yr rotation with corn (Zea mays L.) with and without a...

Griggs and Steele Counties, in east-central NorthDakota, are underlain by bedrock of Ordovician, Jurassic, and Cretaceous ages. The Fall River and Lakota Formations of Cretaceous age form the Dakota aquifer. The fractured upper part of the Pierre Formation (shale), also of Cretaceous age, forms another bedrock aquifer. The Dakota aquifer, which consists mainly of interbedded shale and sandstone units, may yield as much as 500 gallons per minute (32 liters per second) of sodium sulfate water to wells at selected locations. The Pierre aquifer yields from 1 to 10 gallons per minute (0.06 to 0.63 liters per second) of sodium bicarbonate or sodium sulfate water to wells. Four major glacial-drift aquifers are present in the study area. The Spiritwood aquifer system may supply as much as 1,500 gallons per minute (95 liters per second) of water to wells. Water samples contained dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 244 to 9,800 milligrams per liter. The Galesburg aquifer will yield as much as 1,000 gallons per minute (63 liters per second) of water to wells. Water samples contained dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 317 to 2,170 milligrams per liter. The McVille aquifer will yield as much as 500 gallons per minute (32 liters per second) to wells. Water samples contained dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 449 to 2,200 milligrams per liter. The Elk Valley aquifer could yield 30 gallons per minute (2 liters per second) to wells. Water samples contained dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 397 to 2,890 milligrams per liter. Six communities in the project area use ground-water supplies. Rural water districts are being developed in the two-county area that will provide dependable ground-water supplies for many farms and small municipalities. The Spiritwood aquifer system and the McVille and Galesburg aquifers are capable of supplying the water needs of these districts and could also provide water for irrigation.

Available data on the ecology of aquatic organisms in the Red River of the North Basin, a study unit of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment program, were collated from numerous sources. Lack of information for invertebrates and algae precluded a general summary of distribution and ecology throughout the basin. Data on fish species distributions in the major streams of the Red River of the North Basin were analyzed based on the drainage area of the stream and the number of ecoregions the stream flowed through. Species richness increased with both drainage area (log drainage area in square kilometers, R2=0.41, p=0.0055) and the number of ecoregions a river flowed through. However, theses two factors are autocorrelated because the larger the drainage, the more likely that the river will flow through more than one ecoregion. A cluster analysis identified five river groups based on similarity of species within the fish community. Analysis of trophic and taxonomic composition provided justification for the cluster groups. There were significant differences (p=0.05) in the trophic composition of the river cluster groups with respect to the number of predator species, omnivore species, benthic insectivore species, and general insectivore species. Although there were no significant differences in the number of species in the bass and sunfish family or the sucker family, the number of species in the minnow family and the darter subfamily were different (p=0.05) among the groups identified by cluster analysis. Data on contaminant concentrations in fish from the Red River of the North indicated that most trace elements and organochlorine compounds present in tissues were not at levels toxic to fish or humans. Minnesota and NorthDakota have issued a fish consumption advisory based on levels of mercury and (or) PCBs found in some species.

A field campaign was conducted from 23 November 2013 through 28 March 2014 in the Bakken formation of NorthDakota to investigate the impacts of rapidly increasing oil and gas production operations on air quality throughout the region. Whole air samples were collected at three different sites during the study period for volatile organic compound (VOC) measurements. The main sampling location was the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO), where one daytime and one nighttime sample were collected each day throughout the campaign period. Daytime samples were also collected every second day at the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (FOUS) and once a week at the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, MT. A signature of elevated nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) mixing ratios was observed throughout the campaign at all three sites; THRO and FOUS had the highest levels as they are located in high well density areas. Moreover, the C2-C5 alkane mixing ratios were approximately an order of magnitude greater than regional background levels. Light alkane mixing ratios at THRO, the most impacted site, were similar to those at urban sites influenced by petrochemical industry emissions, with ethane and propane reaching maximums of 95 ppbv and 164 ppbv, respectively. The i-pentane to n-pentane ratio for all sites was ~0.75, clearly demonstrating the widespread impact from oil and gas production emissions throughout the region. Alkanes dominated the hydroxyl radical reactivity, and their overall influence on regional air quality will be explored.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of aquatic ecosystems in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. represent a significant data gap. Consequently, a 3-year study was conducted in south-central NorthDakota, USA, to provide an initial estimate of GHG fluxes from a large, shallow lake. Mean GHG fluxes were 0.02 g carbon dioxide (CO2) m−2 h−1, 0.0009 g methane (CH4) m−2 h−1, and 0.0005 mg nitrous oxide (N2O) m−2 h−1. Fluxes of CO2 and CH4 displayed temporal and spatial variability which is characteristic of aquatic ecosystems, while fluxes of N2O were consistently low throughout the study. Comparisons between results of this study and published values suggest that mean daily fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O fromLong Lakewere low, particularly when compared to the well-studied prairie pothole wetlands of the region. Similarly, cumulative seasonal CH4 fluxes, which ranged from 2.68–7.58 g CH4 m−2, were relatively low compared to other wetland systems of North America. The observed variability among aquatic ecosystems underscores the need for further research.

The Nesson anticline is the major north-south-trending structure in the NorthDakota portion of the Williston basin. The trace of the anticline is marked by nearly continuous production for 110 mi (175 km) from the Canadian border south to Dunn County; production is from 13 different stratigraphic zones. Previous studies have shown that the central and southern parts of the anticline, from Beaver Lodge field south to Rattlesnake Point field, consist of at least nine structurally independent areas, each of which has an individual tectonic history. Isopach patterns indicate that most of the areas underwent their greatest tectonic activity during the Devonian and Early Mississippian, although a few areas were active during the early Mesozoic as well. Ten traceable salts are present along the anticline in the Prairie (Devonian), Charles (Mississippian), Opeche (Permian), Spearfish (Triassic), and Pipe Formations (Jurassic). The isopach patterns of the individual salts indicate contemporaneous tectonic activity through thickening or thinning of the salt. Postdepositional activity is indicated by the absence of a salt; the timing of the activity may be estimated from the presence of compensating section above the level of the salt. Their results indicate that, in addition to the times given above, significant tectonic activity took place along the anticline during the Late Mississippian, late Jurassic, and Early Cretaceous.

Prairie potholes are the dominant wetland type in the intensively cultivated northern Great Plains of North America, and thus have the potential to receive pesticide runoff and drift. We examined the presence of pesticides in sediments of 151 wetlands split among the three dominant land use types, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), cropland, and native prairie, in North and South Dakota in 2011. Herbicides (glyphosate and atrazine) and fungicides were detected regularly, with no insecticide detections. Glyphosate was the most detected pesticide, occurring in 61% of all wetlands, with atrazine in only 8% of wetlands. Pyraclostrobin was one of five fungicides detected, but the only one of significance, being detected in 31% of wetlands. Glyphosate was the only pesticide that differed by land use, with concentrations in cropland over four-times that in either native prairie or CRP, which were equal in concentration and frequency of detection. Despite examining several landscape variables, such as wetland proximity to specific crop types, watershed size, and others, land use was the best variable explaining pesticide concentrations in potholes. CRP ameliorated glyphosate in wetlands at concentrations comparable to native prairie and thereby provides another ecosystem service from this expansive program. PMID:27219502

Woody vegetation has been linked to increased rates of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism for some grassland hosts. In northern NorthDakota, however, studies reported that parasitism of grassland passerine nests was lower in landscapes with trees than in those without trees. We looked for evidence of this pattern elsewhere, using data from two studies conducted on the Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern NorthDakota. Specifically, we examined the probability of parasitism relative to percent tree cover within 2 km of a nest. We found a negative relationship for grassland passerine nests of all species tested. Our results support the suggestion that cowbirds are less likely to parasitize nests of grassland passerines where tree cover on the landscape is greater. This pattern could be explained by cowbirds switching to alternative hosts in woodlands, but this hypothesis needs further testing. ?? 2009 by The Cooper Ornithological Society. All rights reserved.

Agricultural pollution is a significant problem in NorthDakota. Water quality in the Pipestem Creek watershed upstream of Pingree, NorthDakota, USA, has been a major environmental concern amongst other adjacent watersheds within the region. The annualized agricultural non-point source (AnnAGNPS) model, a large-scale watershed model designed to predict sediment and nutrient loads, was used to evaluate non-point source pollution in a typical agricultural watershed. The best available data were assembled and used in the analysis. The model predicted runoff of 0.31 m 3/s, compared to a measured value of 0.46 m 3/s. A poor correlation was observed when comparing the model's predicted nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment with the observed counterparts. The model's poor performance was most likely a result of the large size of the study area and the high variability in land use and management practices.

The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA), to clean up the Belfield and Bowman, NorthDakota, uraniferous lignite processing sites to reduce the potential health impacts associated with the residual radioactive materials remaining at these sites. Remedial action at these sites must be performed in accordance with the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) standards promulgated for the remedial action and with the concurrence of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the state of NorthDakota. The inactive Belfield uraniferous lignite processing site is one mile southeast of Belfield, NorthDakota. The inactive Bowman uraniferous lignite processing site at the former town of Griffin, is seven miles northwest of Bowman, NorthDakota and 65 road miles south of Belfield. Lignite ash from the processing operations has contaminated the soils over the entire 10.7-acre designated Belfield site and the entire 12.1-acre designated Bowman site. Dispersion of the ash has contaminated an additional 20.6 acres surrounding the Belfield processing site and an additional 59.2 acres surrounding the Bowman processing site. The proposed remedial action is to relocate the contaminated materials at the Belfield processing site to the Bowman processing/disposal site for codisposal with the Bowman contaminated soils. The environmental impacts assessed in this EA were evaluated for the proposed remedial action and the no action alternative and demonstrate that the proposed action would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and would be performed in compliance with applicable environmental laws. The no action alternative would not be consistent with the intent of Public Law 95-604 and would not comply with the EPA standards. 48 refs., 10 figs., 7 tabs.

This assessment examines the potential socioeconomic impacts of inactivating the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) at Minot Air Force Base (AFB), NorthDakota. The study focuses on employment, population, and income impacts and estimates their effects on housing, community services, utilities, transportation, recreation and tourism, and public finance. This assessment is intended primarily for the use of Air Force and community planners concerned with the local consequences of the inactivation. 10 refs., 46 tabs.

Residues of organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury were measured in eggs of Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and ferruginous hawks (B. regalis) collected in North and South Dakota during 1974?79. DDE was the most common compound detected in the eggs, but residues were below levels known to have adverse effects on reproduction. Other organochlorine compounds and mercury were found at low levels. Eggs of ferruginous hawks tended to contain more compounds with higher residues than eggs of Swainson's hawks.

From a balcony of building 500, looking north. Eastern and middle portions of building 511 are in the foreground. The movie theater (building 521) and the steam plant (building 215) are to the right rear. The commissary (building 520) is directly behind building 511. - Fitzsimons General Hospital, Bounded by East Colfax to south, Peoria Street to west, Denver City/County & Adams County Line to north, & U.S. Route 255 to east, Aurora, Adams County, CO

The Bakken Petroleum System is a multi-reservoir play with estimated total undiscovered resources of 3.649 BBO oil and 1.85 TCF natural gas in the United States portion of the Williston Basin (Pollastro 2008). The presence of natural fractures in all three members of the Bakken Formation have been linked to high initial production (IP) and cumulative production from the Antelope Field and better reservoir potential in the Elm Coulee Field and Sanish Fields (Sturm and Gomez 2009; Honsberger 2012; Theloy 2011). Therefore, the ability of seismic data to determine the presence, orientation, and density of natural fractures is an important achievement for petroleum exploration and exploitation. The STAMPEDE 9-component seismic survey is located in Mountrail County, NorthDakota, in the Banner Field, southeast of the Parshall and Sanish Fields. It is the goal of the Reservoir Characterization Project to analyze the structural influences on reservoir properties in the STAMPEDE survey area using the compressional and pure shear seismic volumes supplemented by the public well information available on the NorthDakota Industrial Commission website. Fracturing induced by basement faulting and lithology changes is detectable using multicomponent seismic data in the Stampede seismic survey. Shear wave splitting analysis delineates zones of different fracture orientation and density. These areas correlate to interpreted fault intersections and the predicted area of increased fracture frequency based on facies changes in the Middle Bakken Member and its mechanical stratigraphy. Wrench fault mechanics are at work in the study area, creating isolated convergent and divergent stress regimes in the separate fault blocks. Main fault interpretations are based on shear wave isochron mapping, wireline log mapping, seismic panel observations. Fracture interpretations were made on the analysis of shear time and amplitude anisotropy maps and the correlation of a P-wave Velocity Variation

Data that describe the physical characteristics of stream subbasins upstream from selected sites on streams in the Hawk Creek-Yellow Medicine River Basin, located in southwestern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota are presented in this report. The physical characteristics are the drainage area of the subbasin, the percentage area of the subbasin covered only by lakes, the percentage area of the subbasin covered by both lakes and wetlands, the main-channel length, and the main-channel slope. Stream sites include outlets of subbasins of at least 5 square miles, outlets of sewage treatment plants, and locations of U.S. Geological Survey low-flow, high-flow, and continuous-record gaging stations.

Spatial relations between coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) on a 360-km2 area in NorthDakota were studied during 1977-78. Coyote families occupied large (mean = 61.2 km2), relatively exclusive territories that encompassed about one-half of the study area. Fox families occupied much smaller (mean = 11.9 km2), relatively exclusive, territories that overlapped perimeters of coyote territories and/or encompassed area unoccupied by coyotes. No fox family lived totally within a coyote territory, but 3 fox families lived within the 153.6-km2 home range of an unattached yearling male coyote. Both coyotes and foxes, from families with overlapping territories, tended to use their overlap areas less than was expected by amount of overlap. Encounters between radio-equipped coyotes and foxes from families with overlapping territories occurred less often than was expected by chance. Foxes living near coyotes exhibited considerable tenacity to their territories, and no monitored fox was killed by coyotes during 2,518 fox-days of radio surveillance. A hypothesis for coyote-induced fox population declines, based largely on fox avoidance mechanisms, is presented.

Ecological data commonly become more valuable through time. Such legacy data provide baseline records of past biological, physical, and social information that provide historical perspective and are necessary for assessment of stasis or change. Legacy data collected at the Woodworth Study Area (WSA), a contiguous block of grasslands, croplands, and wetlands covering more than 1,000 hectares of the Prairie Pothole Region of NorthDakota, are cataloged and summarized in this study. The WSA is one of the longest researched grassland sites in the Upper Midwest. It has an extensive history of settlement, land use, and management that provides a deeper context for future research. The WSA data include long-term vegetation transect records, land use history, habitat management records, geologic information, wetland hydrology and chemistry information, and spatial images. Substantial parts of these data have not been previously reported. The WSA is representative of many other lands purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Prairie Pothole Region from the 1930s to the 1970s; therefore, synthesized data from the WSA are broadly applicable to topics of concern in northern grasslands, such as increases in non-native plants, managing for biodiversity, and long-term effects of habitat management. New techniques are also described that were used to preserve these data for future analyses. The data preservation techniques are applicable to any project with data that should be preserved for 100 years or more.

Cooperative Power`s Coal Creek Station (CCS) the NorthDakota Industrial Commission, and the US Department of Energy provided funds for a research project at the Energy and Environmental Research Center. The goals of the project were (1) to determine conditions for the conversion of scrubber sludge to gypsum simulating an ex situ process on the laboratory scale; (2) to determine the feasibility of scaleup of the process; (3) if warranted, to demonstrate the ex situ process for conversion on the pilot scale; and (4) to evaluate the quality and handling characteristics of the gypsum produced on the pilot scale. The process development and demonstration phases of this project were successfully completed focusing on ex situ oxidation using air at low pH. The potential to produce a high-purity gypsum on a commercial scale is excellent. The results of this project demonstrate the feasibility of converting CCS scrubber sludge to gypsum exhibiting characteristics appropriate for agricultural application as soil amendment as well as for use in gypsum wallboard production. Gypsum of a purity of over 98% containing acceptable levels of potentially problematic constituents was produced in the laboratory and in a pilot-scale demonstration.

The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation relies on groundwater supplies to meet the demands of community and economic needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, examined historical groundwater-level and groundwater-quality data for the Fox Hills, Hell Creek, Rolla, and Shell Valley aquifers. The two main sources of water-quality data for groundwater were the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database and the NorthDakota State Water Commission database. Data included major ions, trace elements, nutrients, field properties, and physical properties. The Fox Hills and Hell Creek aquifers had few groundwater water-quality data. The lack of data limits any detailed assessments that can be made about these aquifers. Data for the Rolla aquifer exist from 1978 through 1980 only. The concentrations of some water-quality constituents exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels. No samples were analyzed for pesticides and hydrocarbons. Numerous water-quality samples have been obtained from the Shell Valley aquifer. About one-half of the water samples from the Shell Valley aquifer had concentrations of iron, manganese, sulfate, and dissolved solids that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels. Overall, the data did not indicate obvious patterns in concentrations.

During 1985 and 1986 I studied interspecific brood parasitism among seven species of waterfowl nesting on 36 islands and 24 peninsulas in central NorthDakota. On islands, 40% of 178 nests were parasitized with an average of 4.3 parasitic eggs, and on peninsulas 2% of 275 nests were parasitized with an average of 2.2 parasitic eggs. Redheads (Aythya americana) were the primary parasite, adding eggs to 92% of all parasitized nests. Species nesting in open cover were parasitized at a higher rate than species nesting in dense cover. Nests with parasitic eggs had fewer host eggs and there was a negative association between the number of parasitic eggs and the success of host eggs. Parasitized nests had lower success, but additional parasitic eggs had no added influence on nest success. Interspecific brood parasitism had significant negative effects on dabbling ducks on islands but Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) were little affected. Even so, the number of young hatched per nest was much higher on islands because of the high loss of eggs to predators on the mainland. Parasitic eggs were deposited during the middle of the nesting season, but the peak of parasitic laying occurred before the peak of normal nesting.

This study examines the impact of stochastic harvest field time on profit maximizing potential of corn cob/stover collection in NorthDakota. Three harvest options are analyzed using mathematical programming models. Our findings show that under the first corn grain only harvest option, farmers are able to complete harvesting corn grain and achieve maximum net income in a fairly short amount of time with existing combine technology. However, under the second simultaneous corn grain and cob (one-pass) harvest option, farmers generate lower net income compared to the net income of the first option. This is due to the slowdown in combinemore » harvest capacity as a consequence of harvesting corn cobs. Under the third option of separate corn grain and stover (two-pass) harvest option, time allocation is the main challenge and our evidence shows that with limited harvest field time available, farmers find it optimal to allocate most of their time harvesting grain and then proceed to harvest and bale stover if time permits at the end of harvest season. The overall findings suggest is that it would be more economically efficient to allow a firm that is specialized in collecting biomass feedstock to participate in cob/stover harvest business.« less

NorthDakota's state-funded Dementia Care Services Program provides individualized assistance to caregivers of persons with dementia. Caregivers can contact program representatives at any time and may continue to contact them throughout the years they are caring for the person with dementia. During the program's first forty-two months of operation (January 2010 to June 2013), care consultants assisted 1,750 caregivers, primarily family members, of 951 persons with dementia. In survey responses and other self-reported data, the unpaid caregivers credited the assistance program with helping them feel more empowered, consider their charges less likely to be placed in long-term care, and use less potentially avoidable medical services such as hospitalizations and 911 calls. The program's estimated potential savings were $39.2 million from delayed long-term care placement and $0.8 million from reduced use of medical services, and its two-year costs were $1.2 million. The program's success with its rural service population, for which travel tends to be difficult and resources limited, provides a model for others to adapt. It also encourages further research on impacts of individualized support programs on persons with dementia and their caregivers. PMID:24711321

The meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) is a parasite of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and is also a significant pathogen of moose (Alces alces) and other ungulates. Changes in climate or habitat may facilitate range expansion or increase the prevalence of meningeal worm infection in white-tailed deer, resulting in increased exposure to susceptible ungulates. We examined 3,730 white-tailed deer during 2002-05 to determine the prevalence and range of meningeal worm infection in NorthDakota, US, and investigated whether these had changed since earlier surveys. We used multiple logistic regression to model potential effects of habitat and climate on prevalence in white-tailed deer. We also examined how habitat influences intermediate hosts by comparing gastropod abundance and microclimate among habitat types. Prevalence in deer was 14% statewide, and prevalence and geographic range had increased since the early 1990 s. Natural woodlands provided the best habitat for intermediate hosts, and increases in prevalence of infection in deer may be due to recent patterns in growing-season precipitation. This study has redefined the geographic distribution of meningeal worm infection and increased understanding of how climate and habitat influence the prevalence and distribution of this parasite. PMID:25973622

Grazing by livestock is often used to reduce litter, improve plant vigor, and alter plant species composition, but additional information is needed on the effects of these management practices on upland-nesting birds. Thus, we conducted an experimental study of the effect of grazing on nest density and nest success of upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) in southcentral NorthDakota from 1981 to 1987. Our experimental design consisted of 4 treatments and 1 control, each applied to 1 field in each of 3 study areas. The treatments represented options available to grassland managers: spring grazing, autumn grazing, autumn-and-spring grazing, season-long grazing, and control (ungrazed during the study). Nests (n = 342) were found by searching study areas with a cable-chain drag. Nest density was lower (P = 0.006) for treatments where cattle were present (spring, autumn-and-spring, and season-long) than where cattle were not present (autumn and control) during the nesting season. We concluded that grazing during the nesting season reduced the nest density of upland sandpipers. Nest success varied among years (P = 0.01) and was low in the first year of grazing and higher at the end of the study period. We found little evidence that the grazing treatment influenced nest success. We recommend that public lands with breeding populations of upland sandpipers include a complex of fields under various management practices, including fields undisturbed during the nesting season.

Examination of cores and well log data from the Winnipegosis Formation (Givetian) within a study area of approximately 11,500 mi/sup 2/ (30,000 km/sup 2/) in northern NorthDakota allows recognition of seven time-stratigraphic progradational units within the Winnipegosis Formation. Together with the underlying Ashern Formation, these units are arranged in landward-stepping, vertical stacking, and seaward-stepping geometric patterns, which reflect changes in relative sea level. Abrupt juxtaposition of shallow over deeper water lithologies, evidence for subaerial exposure, and onlap geometries further suggest that these progradational units form two larger, Vail-type sequences separated by regionally persistent unconformities or their correlative conformities. Sea level rise during the early Eifelian caused southeastward onlap of the Ashern Formation onto Middle Silurian carbonates of the Interlake Formation. Maximum flooding, expressed by deepest marine facies and a hardground surface, suggests the existence of a condensed section at the top of the Ashern Formation. This was developed during the maximum rate of sea level rise. A decrease in the rate of sea level rise resulted in aggradation of lower Winnipegosis units on a gently dipping ramp. These are represented by nodular and burrowed open marine limestones with scattered stromatoporoid patch reefs and grainstone shoals. During the subsequent sea level fall, represented by Temple units, a shelf margin with pronounced depositional topography and adjacent starved basin were developed. Temple strata include coral-brachiopod-stromatoporoid reefs and productive fore-reef talus deposits along the shelf margin rim.

Nesting of dabbling ducks (Anatinae) was studied in fields of no-till winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in the prairie pothole region of NorthDakota during 1984 and 1985. Total area of 59 fields searched in 1984 was 1,135 ha and total area of 70 fields searched in 1985 was 1,175 ha. Field sizes ranged from 3 ha to 110 ha. Nests of five duck species were found: blue-winged teal (Anas discors), 55 nests; northern pintail (A. acuta), 44; mallard (A. platyrhynchos), 29; gadwall (A. strepera), 15; and northern shoveler (A. clypeata), 8. The average number of nests found was 8/100 ha in 1984 and 6/100 ha in 1985. Nest success for all species averaged 26% in 1984 and 29% in 1985. Predation by mammals was the principal cause of nest destruction. No egg or hen mortality could be attributed to pesticide use. Only 6 of 151 nests (4%) were abandoned during the two years. We also found 29 nests of seven other ground-nesting bird species. The trend toward increased planting of no-till winter wheat in the prairie pothole region should benefit production of ducks and other ground-nesting birds.

A free-ranging Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) population was investigated during winter (December-January 1996-1999) below the Garrison Dam, NorthDakota, USA, to relate diet to gut morphology variation in males. Four explanatory variables (fish consumption, male age, winter, and body size) were evaluated as to whether they influenced five response variables associated with gut characteristics of Mallards. Response variables were lower gastro-intestinal tract mass (LGIT), dry liver mass, dry gizzard mass, small intestine length, and ceca length. Diets of Mallards were comprised primarily of Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) and concomitantly variation in gizzard mass was small. LGIT mass of juveniles was larger than that of adults, greater for those that consumed fish, and greater during the coldest and snowiest winter. Liver mass and small intestine length of Mallards that consumed fish were greater than those that did not. Mallards may maintain lengthy intestines to increase digestive efficiency. Gut size variation was not entirely attributable to dietary composition but also influenced by body size and environmental conditions such that over-winter survival is maximized.

Over the last five years, NorthDakota has experienced an oil boom based on high oil prices and hydraulic fracturing technologies. This has brought economic expansion and population growth to rural communities that had previously experienced decades of depopulation and economic struggle. Although the state has enjoyed many benefits--especially in juxtaposition to a sluggish national economy--the boom has also meant the arrival of economic refugees and dramatic impacts on largely rural social service systems. In the midst of a rapidly changing situation, available information tends to swing between euphoria over economic success and hysteria about rising crime and shifting cultures. In response, the authors used a primary focus group with county social service directors from across the state and a followup focus group with social workers operating on the edge of oil activity. Grounded in resilience theory, qualitative analysis of the primary focus group, and triangulation of data from other sources, this study provides a more objective report of the housing and social challenges, the benefits of the boom, and the challenges to solutions. PMID:24640232

The stated goals of the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) are 'to promote the development of improved cloud and radiation parameterization for use in climate models, and to provide for assessment and improvement of ISCCP projects'. FIRE Phase 2 has focused on the formation, maintenance and dissipation of cirrus and marine stratocumulus cloud systems. These objectives have been approached through a combination of modeling, extended-time observations and intensive field observation (IFO) periods. The work under this grant was associated with the FIRE Cirrus IFO 2. This field measurement program was conducted to obtain observations of cirrus cloud systems on a range of scales from the synoptic to the microscale, utilizing simultaneous measurements from a variety of ground-based, satellite and airborne platforms. By combining these remote and in situ measurements a more complete picture of cirrus systems can be obtained. The role of the University of NorthDakota in Phase 2 was three-fold: to collect in situ microphysical data during the Cirrus IFO 2; to process and archive these data; and to collaborate in analyses of IFO data. This report will summarize the activities and findings of the work performed under this grant; detailed description of the data sets available and of the analyses are contained in the Semi-annual Status Reports submitted to NASA.

In 1989, the McLean County Commissioners requested assistance from personnel at the University of NorthDakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) with the construction of a section of road and a boat ramp in their county. Assistance was sought from the EERC because the county`s construction plans called for partial replacement of the lime and portland cement normally used for soil stabilization with fly ash. Since the EERC had recently conducted several research projects dealing with the use of coal combustion by-products for road construction, the commissioners requested that EERC personnel help to determine appropriate formulas for the stabilized soil mixtures to be used for both the road and boat ramp applications. An additional incentive was provided when the management of the Coal Creek Power Plant offered to donate the necessary fly ash at no cost. This project was performed as a joint venture between McLean County and the EERC. The EERC was primarily responsible for conducting a laboratory testing program to develop soil stabilization mixtures for the two construction activities. These mixtures were to contain a relatively high percentage of fly ash and to exhibit sufficient strength and durability so that the road and boat ramp would both have a service life of 20 years or more. McLean County would be primarily responsible for the road and boat ramp construction activities. The funding for the EERC portion of the project was provided by the US Department of Energy through a joint venture support program.

Annual peak-flow frequency data from 231 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in NorthDakota and parts of Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota, with 10 or more years of unregulated peak-flow record, were used to develop regional regression equations for exceedance probabilities of 0.5, 0.20, 0.10, 0.04, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.002 using generalized least-squares techniques. Updated peak-flow frequency estimates for 262 streamflow-gaging stations were developed using data through 2009 and log-Pearson Type III procedures outlined by the Hydrology Subcommittee of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data. An average generalized skew coefficient was determined for three hydrologic zones in NorthDakota. A StreamStats web application was developed to estimate basin characteristics for the regional regression equation analysis. Methods for estimating a weighted peak-flow frequency for gaged sites and ungaged sites are presented.

The Belfield and Bowman sites were not included on the original congressional list of processing sites to be designated by the Secretary of Energy. Instead, the sites were nominated for designation by the Dakota Resource Council in a letter to the DOE (September 7, 1979). In a letter to the DOE (September 12, 1979), the state of NorthDakota said that it did not believe the sites would qualify as processing sites under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) because the activities at the sites involved only the ashing of uraniferous lignite coal and the ash was shipped out of state for actual processing. Nevertheless, on October 11, 1979, the state of NorthDakota agreed to the designation of the sites because they met the spirit of the law (reduce public exposure to radiation resulting from past uranium operations). Therefore, these sites were designated by the Secretary of Energy for remedial action. Because of the relatively low health impacts determined for these sites, they were ranked as low priority and scheduled to be included in the final group of sites to be remediated.

Two unlined ponds were used for holding and evaporation of brines produced with oil and gas at a well site in north-central NorthDakota. The brine-evaporation ponds were in use from 1959 up to the late 1970s when they were backfilled and leveled. Continued salt-water migration at this site since closure has decreased crop yields in surrounding fields and has killed trees in a shelterbelt within an area of approximately 10 acres. An apparent resistivity survey delineated a 360,000-ha area of extremely low resistivity. Isoconcentration maps indicate that a highly saline leachate plume extends laterally in a 500-foot radius around the ponds and vertically to a depth of 70 feet below the surface. Ground-water recharge at this site is low because of the semiarid climate and the low hydraulic conductivity of the near-surface sediments and, as a result, very little flushing of the brine from the sediment beneath the ponds has occurred. Pore water within the unsaturated zone beneath the reclaimed ponds contain essentially the same ionic concentrations as that of brine impounded in these pits 10 to 25 years ago. Based upon the results of this research, we estimate that brine leachate will continue to migrate at slow rates from this site for tens and possibly hundreds of years if no action is taken. The construction of a mound over the site and/or an infiltration gallery around the perimeter would minimize the spread of brine and make it possible to return this land to production in the foreseeable future.

The magnitude of groundwater recharge to coal aquifers in a 150-km2 area in west-central NorthDakota was determined using three separate approaches: (1) the net water level rise in water-table wells; (2) calculations of the fluid flux between nested piezometers, using the Darcy equation and measured values of hydraulic conductivity and vertical gradients; and (3) evaluation of the inputs to and outputs from the coal aquifer, using a steady-state control volume approach in which the aquifer was divided into semi-rectangular cells bounded by equipotential lines and flow lines. Measurements of potential gradients and hydraulic conductivity permitted indirect determination of all components of flow into and out of the cell except the recharge input, which was determined by difference. All methods yielded consistent results on the order of 0.04-0.01 m yr.-1 These values, which represent 2-9% of the annual precipitation, are consistent with results of other studies on recharge throughout the prairies of North America. Evaluation of site hydrology and stable-isotope data indicates that recharge is restricted in both time and place. Most recharge occurs in late spring and in the fall following heavy rainfall events. During these seasons the ground is not frozen and vegetation is not transpiring large amounts of water. Some recharge may occur during very heavy localized summer storms, but it is not considered volumetrically significant. Major permanent depressions on the site are a source of significant recharge. In addition, the extensive area of ephemeral standing water bodies that result from snowmelt can produce significant amounts of infiltration over the entire site. ?? 1982.

In the western Great Plains, where old upland trees are scarce, rings of riparian trees provide an important opportunity for reconstructing past river flow and climate. We present data from 489 plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera) trees along the Little Missouri River in western NorthDakota. The trees are in randomly selected flood-plain locations within the North and South units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The two sites are separated by 160 river km. The Little Missouri watershed contains foothills but no mountains, and most annual high flows result from snowmelt in March or April. Cores were collected and processed using standard dendrochronological methods. The effect of tree age was removed from the chronology using a single relation for the site as a whole (age-curve standardization), which preserves century-scale variation. Trees were as old as 371 years. Given that cottonwood establishment depends upon channel migration, abundant establishment from 1864-1891 at both sites suggests that one or more large floods occurred prior to this period. At the North Unit, establishment continued at a lower rate during the next century, but upstream at the South Unit, tree establishment was greatly curtailed after the 1800s. Comparison of General Land Office Maps from 1907 to recent satellite imagery confirms that channel migration in the last century was much greater within the North Unit, a difference caused in part by a downstream increase in flood amplification by ice jamming. Ring widths show that even on the flood plain riparian trees were chronically drought stressed. At both sites growth was strongly positively correlated with flow and precipitation and weakly negatively correlated with temperature. Growth was most strongly correlated with flow and precipitation in April-July, which is consistent with dendrometer-band measurements showing growth cessation in August. Whereas cottonwood establishment decreased in the 1900s, ring widths

The proposed Edgeley/Kulm Project is a 21-megawatt (MW) wind generation project proposed by Florida Power and Light (FPL) Energy NorthDakota Wind LLC (Dakota Wind) and Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin). The proposed windfarm would be located in La Moure County, south central NorthDakota, near the rural farming communities of Kulm and Edgeley. The proposed windfarm is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2003. Dakota Wind and other project proponents are seeking to develop the proposed Edgeley/Kulm Project to provide utilities and, ultimately, electric energy consumers with electricity from a renewable energy source at the lowest possible cost. A new 115-kilovolt (kV) transmission line would be built to transmit power generated by the proposed windfarm to an existing US Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration (Western) substation located near Edgeley. The proposed interconnection would require modifying Western's Edgeley Substation. Modifying the Edgeley Substation is a Federal proposed action that requires Western to review the substation modification and the proposed windfarm project for compliance with Section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332, and Department of Energy NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021). Western is the lead Federal agency for preparation of this Environmental Assessment (EA). The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is a cooperating agency with Western in preparing the EA. This document follows regulation issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), and is intended to disclose potential impacts on the quality of the human environment resulting from the proposed project. If potential impacts are determined to be significant, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement would be required. If impacts are determined to be insignificant, Western would complete a Finding of No Significant

Much of the debate regarding mass extinction events tend to discuss the relationship between such events relative to the moment and timing of internal or external factors (such as volcanism, impact(s), climate, sea-level changes and so on). However, the details of the extinction process itself is still poorly understood, and most of the analysis are based on biodiversity patterns without integrating the biogeographic and environmental context. Another way of approaching the problem would be to propose precise paleoenvironment reconstructions and analyzing their evolution through time, which allows for the understanding of such processes. The badlands of southwestern NorthDakota provides some of the most prolific exposures of the continental Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary in the world. The stratigraphical context indicates that the K/T boundary is coincident or lies in close proximity to the contact between the Hell Creek and the Fort Union Formations. In this area, a series of eight stratigraphical sections across a 40 km north-south transect were studied. These sections bracket the formational contact on a 10 m stratigraphical interval. Reconstruction of the depositional environment was undertaken at a centimeter scale by using sedimentological data, as well as palynological, paleobotanical and palaeontological content of the strata, using the K/T boundary as a precise chronological datum of correlation between the sections. Results shows a consistent evolution of pattern across the entire study area : 1) The uppermost 10 to 20 cm of the Hell Creek Formation always corresponds to a sequence of dark rooted mudstone. Pollen content is consistent with a Cretaceous age and displays a diversity of terrestrial taxa. 2) Immediately above, the formation contact lies at the lower part of the first laterally traceable lignite horizon. The K/T boundary indicators (iridium anomaly, shocked quartz, fern spike and boundary claystone) are located at or adjacent to this

Cambrian-Ordovician clastics of the Deadwood Formation were studied in detail from Newporte field in Renville County, NorthDakota. This small Cambrian-Ordovician oil pool was extensively cored, often to the Precambrian basement, allowing close examination of clastic deposition influenced by local basement tectonics. In Renville County, the basal unit consists of a well-rounded, fine to medium-grained glauconitic quartz sandstone. Paleohighs appear to have had a pronounced effect on Deadwood sedimentation. Sands, from quiet water settings, show poor to moderate sorting, are commonly finely laminated, and/or show traces of minor small-scale cross-bedding. In places, bedding planes are highly disrupted, suggesting intervals of intense bioturbation (Skolithos). Sands associated with paleohighs are clean, well sorted, and commonly friable. Their association with basement structure is suggestive of beach-barrier-bar sequences related to irregularly upthrown basement blocks. In one example, this clean basal sand is associated with an upthrown basement block and is sharply truncated by the pre-Winnipeg (early Ordovician) unconformity. The first unit above the basal sandstone in structurally lower wells is an anomalous conglomerate unit. Large angular basement clasts up to cobble size were viewed in core. This unit grades upward into a fine sand sequence and distally grades into a marine sand. It terminates abruptly in upthrown wells and indicates rapid fault movement and offset during middle Deadwood deposition, with development of localized fanglomerate sequences associated with fault scarps. Immediately capping this sequence is a dark-gray marine shale that thins depositionally toward paleohighs.

Constructed islands with adequate nesting cover provide secure nesting sites for ducks because islands restrict access by mammalian predators. These islands are costly to construct and should be placed in areas that ensure the greatest use by nesting ducks. We studied mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (A. strepera) nesting on constructed islands in NorthDakota in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate factors--particularly amount of perennial grass cover in the surrounding landscape and density of breeding pairs--that possibly influence numbers of initiated nests. We also examined effects of island characteristics, such as island vegetation, on numbers of nests. Numbers of mallard and gadwall nests on islands were negatively related to amounts of perennial grass cover in the surrounding uplands. Numbers of mallard nests were positively related to percentages of tall dense cover on islands. We found no effects of breeding-pair density on numbers of nests initiated by either species, possibly because breeding pairs were abundant on all study sites. Percent shrub cover on islands was a better predictor of island use than was percent tall dense cover. Island use by these species increased with island age and distance from mainland shore. Amounts of perennial cover in landscapes should be primary considerations in determining where to build islands. Our data suggest that use of islands by nesting mallards and gadwalls is greatest in landscapes with little perennial grass cover (i.e., high amounts of cropland). Other researchers documented a positive relation between nest success in upland covers and amount of perennial grass cover in the landscape. Therefore, islands constructed in landscapes with little perennial cover should provide greater gains in duck recruitment rates than islands constructed in landscapes with greater amounts of perennial grass cover.

One of the challenges in astronomy education today is to introduce college students to the real-world practice and science of observational astronomy. Along with a good theoretical background, college students can gain an earlier, deeper understanding of the astronomy profession through direct observational and data reduction experience. However, building and managing a modest observatory is still too costly for many colleges and universities. Fortunately, advances in commercial astronomical hardware and software now allow universities to build and operate small Internet controllable observatories for a modest investment. The advantages of an Internet observatory include: 1) remote operation from a comfortable location, 2) immediate data access, 3) telescope control via a web browser, and 4) allowing both on-campus and distance education students the ability to conduct a variety of observing projects. Internet capabilities vastly expand the number of students who will be able to use the observatory, thus exposing them to astronomy as a science and as a potential career. In September 2005, the University of NorthDakota (UND) Department of Space Studies began operating a small, recently renovated Internet controllable observatory. Housed within a roll-off roof 10 miles west of UND, the observatory includes a Meade 16-inch, f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, an SBIG STL-6303e CCD with broadband filters, ACP observatory control software, focuser, and associated equipment. The observatory cost \\25,000 to build in 1996; 2005 renovation costs total \\28,000. An observatory operator prepares the telescope for use each night. Through remote operation, the roof is opened and the telescope/CCD power is turned on. The telescope is then aligned and focused before allowing students to access the observatory. Students communicate with the observatory operator via an online chat room and via telephone, if necessary, to answer questions and resolve any problems. Additional

Devils Lake, located in a closed basin in northeastern NorthDakota has over a century-long history of highly fluctuating water levels. The lake has risen nearly 25 feet (7.7 m) since 1993, more than doubling its surface area. Rising water levels have affected rural lands, transportation routes, and communities near the lake. In response to rising lake levels, Federal, state and local agencies have adopted a three-part approach to flood damage reduction, consisting of (1) upper basin water management to reduce the amount of water reaching the lake, (2) protection for structures and infrastructure if the lake continues to rise, and (3) developing an emergency outlet to release some lake water. The purpose of this study was to provide information about the net regional economic effects of a proposed emergency outlet for Devils Lake. An input-output model was used to estimate the regional economic effects of the outlet, under two scenarios: (1) the most likely future situation (MLS) and (2) a best case situation (BCS) (i.e., where the benefits from the outlet would be greatest), albeit an unlikely one. Regional economic effects of the outlet include effects on transportation (road and railroad construction), agriculture (land kept in production, returned to production sooner, or kept in production longer), residential relocations, and outlet construction expenditures. Effects are measured as changes in gross business volume (gross receipts) for various sectors, secondary employment, and local tax collections. The net regional economic effects of the proposed outlet would be relatively small, and consideration of these economic impacts would not strengthen the case for an outlet. PMID:12503500

A numerical water-balance model was developed to simulate the responses of a wetland on the Fort Berthold Reservation, NorthDakota, to historical and possible extreme hydrological inputs and to changes in hydrological inputs that might occur if a proposed refinery is built on the reservation. Results from model simulations indicated that the study wetland would likely contain water during most historical and extreme-precipitation events with the addition of maximum potential discharges of 0.6 acre-foot per day from proposed refinery holding ponds. Extended periods with little precipitation and above-normal temperatures may result in the wetland becoming nearly dry, especially if potential holding-pond discharges are near zero. Daily simulations based on the historical-enhanced climate data set for May and June 2005, which included holding-pond discharges of 0.6 acre-foot per day, indicated that the study-wetland maximum simulated water volume was about 16.2 acre-feet and the maximum simulated water level was about 1.2 feet at the outlet culvert. Daily simulations based on the extreme summer data set, created to represent an extreme event with excessive June precipitation and holding-pond discharges of 0.6 acre-foot per day, indicated that the study-wetland maximum simulated water volume was about 38.6 acre-feet and the maximum simulated water level was about 2.6 feet at the outlet culvert. A simulation performed using the extreme winter climate data set and an outlet culvert blocked with snow and ice resulted in the greatest simulated wetland water volume of about 132 acre-feet and the greatest simulated water level, which would have been about 6.2 feet at the outlet culvert, but water was not likely to overflow an adjacent highway.

The Heart River drainage basin of .southwestern NorthDakota comprises an area of 3,365 square miles and lies within the Missouri Plateau of the Great Plains province. Streamflow of the Heart River and its tributaries during 1949-58 was directly proportional to .the drainage area. After the construction of Heart Butte Dam in 1949 and Dickinson Dam in 1950, the mean annual streamflow near Mandan was decreased an estimated 10 percent by irrigation, evaporation from the two reservoirs, and municipal use. Processes that contribute sediment to the Heart River are mass wasting, advancement of valley heads, and sheet, lateral stream, and gully erosion. In general, glacial deposits, terraces, and bars of Quaternary age are sources of sand and larger sediment, and the rocks of Tertiary age are sources of clay, silt. and sand. The average annual suspended-sediment discharges near Mandan were estimated to be 1,300,000 tons for 1945-49 and 710,000 tons for 1970-58. The percentage composition of ions in water of the Heart River, based on average concentrations in equivalents per million for selected ranges of streamflow, changes with flow and from station to station. During extremely low flows the water contains a large percentage of sodium and about equal percentages of bicarbonate and .sulfate, and during extremely high flows the water contains a large percentage of calcium plus magnesium and bicarbonate. The concentrations, in parts per million, of most of the ions vary inversely with flow. The water in the reservoirs--Edward Arthur Patterson Lake and Lake Tschida--during normal or above-normal runoff is of suitable quality for public use. Generally, because of medium or high salinity hazards, the successful long-term use of Heart River water for irrigation will depend on a moderate amount of leaching, ,adequate drainage, ,and the growing of crops that have moderate or good salt tolerance.

The United States must provide quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in order to maintain a leading role in the global economy. Numerous initiatives have been established across the United States that promote and encourage STEM education within the middle school curriculum. Integrating active learning pedagogy into instructors' lesson plans will prepare the students to think critically - a necessary skill for the twenty first century. This study integrated a three-week long Near Space Balloon project into six eighth grade Earth Science classes from Valley Middle School in Grand Forks, NorthDakota. It was hypothesized that after the students designed, constructed, launched, and analyzed their payload experiments, they would have an increased affinity for high school science and math classes. A pre- and post-survey was distributed to the students (n=124), before and after the project to analyze how effective this engineering and space mission was regarding high school STEM interests. The surveys were statistically analyzed, comparing means by the Student's t-Test, specifically the Welch-Satterthwaite test. Female students displayed a 57.1% increase in math and a 63.6% increase in science; male students displayed a 46.6% increase in science and 0% increase in math. Most Likert-scale survey questions experienced no statistically significant change, supporting the null hypothesis. The only survey question that supported the hypothesis was, "I Think Engineers Work Alone," which experienced a 0.24% decrease in student understanding. The results suggest that integrating a three-week long Near Space Balloon project into middle school curricula will not directly influence the students' excitement to pursue STEM subjects and careers. An extensive, yearlong ballooning mission is recommended so that it can be integrated with multiple core subjects. Using such an innovative pedagogy method as with this balloon launch will help students master the

The Hagel bed is an important economic lignite and is the lowermost named lignite in the Sentinel Butte Formation. The Hagel bed extends throughout the Knife River Basin coal-mining area of central NorthDakota. Stratigraphic sections were measured from the highwalls of the Center mine, Glenharold mine and Falkirk mine. Samples from these stratigraphic sections were described and analyzed (using standard palynological techniques) for their palynomorph content. Pollen and spores proved to be well preserved and abundant. Over seventy palynomorph species and morphotypes were identified. Listed in Table 1 are some of the significant species present and their modern-day equivalents. The genera present suggest a wet, temperature, depositional environment. The palynologic data has been quantified (using conventional percentage-frequency data) to elucidate trends present. The samples have a relatively consistent palynoflora and tyically contain a combination of lowland swamp taxa (e.q. Sphagnum, and some Taxodiaceae) and an upland element (e.q. Corylus, Alnus, Pinus). This combination is interpreted as representing taxa living in the depositional environment (a swamp) along with taxa brought in as detritus from adjacent upland source areas. Palynomorphs of the family Taxodiaceae (such as redwoods, cyprus, and yews) are commonly the dominant forms in Hagel bed samples and are a major constituent in all of them. An abundance of this sort of microfossil suggests a very moist forest-moor type of depositional environment. The abundance of the Taxodiaceae in the associated claystones and silstones suggests that these were deposited in swamp marginal environment in the area studied. 3 references, 1 table.

Examination of cores and well-log data from the Winnipegosis Formation (Givetian) within a study area of approximately 11,500 mi/sup 2/ (30,000 km/sup 2/) in northern NorthDakota allows recognition of seven time-stratigraphic progradational units within the Winnipegosis Formation. Together with the underlying Ashern Formation, these units are arranged in landward-stepping, vertical stacking, and seaward-stepping geometric patterns, which reflect changes in relative sea level. Abrupt juxtaposition of shallow over deeper water lithologies, evidence for subaerial exposure, and onlap geometries further suggest that these progradational units form two larger Vail-type sequences separated by regionally persistent unconformities or their correlative conformities. Sea level rise during the early Eifelian caused southeastward onlap of the Ashern Formation onto Middle Silurian carbonates of the Interlake Formation. Maximum flooding, expressed by deepest marine facies and a hardground surface, suggests the existence of a condensed section at the top of the Ashern Formation. This section was developed during the maximum rate of sea level rise. A decrease in the rate of sea level rise resulted in aggradation of lower Winnipegosis units on a gently dipping ramp. These units are presented by nodular and burrowed open-marine limestones with scattered stromatoporoid patch reefs and grainstone shoals. During the subsequent sea level fall, represented by Temple units, a shelf margin with pronounced depositional topography and adjacent starved basin were developed. Temple strata include coral-brachiopod-stromatoporoid reefs and productive fore-reef talus deposits along the shelf-margin rim. With increased rates of sea level fall, the platform interior and shelf margin were subaerially exposed, slope carbonates were dolomitized, and the E-shale was deposited as a lowstand wedge.

Habitat use and nesting success of seven species of dabbling ducks were evaluated in five vegetative associations within grazed mixed-grass prairie in central NorthDakota. During 1976-80, 548 nests were found on 412 ha of grazed prairie for an annual average density of 27 nests/100 ha. Numbers of nests found ranged from 1/100 ha in 1977 (a drought year) to 58/100 ha in 1979 (a very wet year), reflecting the variability that may be expected in a dynamic prairie wetland environment. Nesting success ranged from an average of 23% in the western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) association to 34% in the mixed-grass association. Forty-two percent of the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) nests and 35% of the gadwall (A. strepera) nests were in patches of western snowberry and/or Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii) that made up 2% of the available cover. Numbers of nests of blue-winged teal (A. discors) and northern shoveler (A. clypeata) were highest in cool-season grasses, especially green needlegrass (Stipa viridula) and western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii). Height/density (HD) of residual cover decreased exponentially with increased grazing pressure. Use of grazed prairie by blue-winged teal was maximized when the HD of residual cover was 0.5 dm or higher, as could be maintained under light grazing. Results of this study indicated that properly grazed mixed-grass prairie can provide adequate nesting habitat for dabbling ducks. We recommend that preservation and sound ecological management be focused on large tracts of mixed-grass prairie with complexes of seasonal and semipermanent wetlands.

In summer 2010, the University of NorthDakota (UND) hosted an internship for undergraduates to learn about climate change in both the classroom and group research projects. As a final project, the undergraduates were tasked to present their findings about different aspects of climate change in webcasts that would be later used in middle school classrooms in the region. Interns indicated that participation significantly improved their own confidence in future scholarly pursuits. Also, communicating about climate change, both during the project and afterwards, helped the interns feel more confident in their own learning. Use of webcasts widened the impact of student projects (e.g. YouTube dissemination), and multiple methods of student communication should continue to be an important piece of climate change education initiatives. Other key aspects of the internship were student journaling and group building. Challenges faced included media accessibility and diverse recruiting. Best practices from the UND internship will be discussed as a model for implementation at other universities. Lesson plans that complement the student-produced webcasts and adhere to regional and national standards were created during 2011. Communication between scientists and K-12 education researchers was found to be a challenge, but improved over the course of the project. These lesson plans have been reviewed both during a teacher workshop in January 2012 and by several Master teachers. Although select middle school educators have expressed enthusiasm for testing of these modules, very little hands-on testing with students has occurred. Wide-ranging roadblocks to implementation exist, including the need for adherence to state standards and texts, inadequate access to technology, and generally negative attitudes toward climate change in the region. Feedback from regional educators will be presented, and possible solutions will be discussed. Although some challenges are specific to the

The nesting behavior of a concentration of nesting mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwalls (A. strepera) was studied on a 4.5-ha island in Miller Lake, NorthDakota, in 1977. A single 0.59-ha clump of thick shrub contained 225 simultaneously active mallard nests on 10 May. During the peak nesting period, mallard nests were spaced an average of 2.7 m from conspecifics. Active nests of all species peaked at 327, spaced an average of 2.1 m apart. Nests were clustered in thick shrub with moderate numbers in open shrub and few in grassland. Nest placement was significantly related to the amount of vegetative screening although mammalian predators were absent on the island. Cover density appeared to be important to the nesting hens as vegetation screened nests from potential avian predators and from harassment by other conspecific nesting hens and drakes. Mallards and gadwalls nesting on this island used wetlands in >100 km2 around Miller Lake. During daylight hours in late April 1978, an average of 4.9 mallards/minute arrived at the island; a peak of 17.2 mallards/minute arrived at 0800. In late April 1978, as many as 26 mallard pairs/ha occurred on favored wetlands and behavioral aggression was intense. Yet, most mallard hens maintained adequate space to acquire food and other requisites. Mallards and gadwalls were sufficiently adaptable to successfully exploit the Miller Lake island and environments that resulted in high reproductive success. Other local breeding Anatidae because of behavioral constraints were unable to exploit the same situation.

In a recent literature review of over 1,350 publications, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that wetlands in floodplains are physically, chemically, and biologically integrated with rivers and can improve downstream water quality. However, current knowledge on the extent of floodplains is limited, with national-scale maps unavailable with the exception of coarse-scale Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Recently, novel approaches to rapidly and inexpensively map floodplains using widely available soil survey data have been developed, as have approaches using hydrogeomorphic metrics. To better understand wetland connectivity to other aquatic systems, we contrasted FIRMs with soil-based, hydrogeomorphic, and simple distance-based metrics in watersheds of Indiana and NorthDakota. Soil-based, hydrogeomorphic, and distance-based measures were particularly useful in determining connectivity. For example, in the White River of Indiana, these three measures connected 74-86% of the watershed's wetland area while the FEMA FIRMs only connected 58% of the watershed's wetland area, with omissions coming from stark demarcations of FIRMs at seemingly arbitrary locations. Overall, we found that FEMA FIRMs were generally unsuitable for use in determining watershed-scale floodplains, as FIRMs tended to focus on urban areas at the expense of agricultural (or non-urban) regions. Distance-based connectivity measures likely over-estimated floodplain extent through the "creation" of non-existent floodplains on low-order streams. As with any method, the accuracy of the hydrogeomorphic and soil-based measures was highly dependent on the resolution and quality of the input data. However, these two methods in particular appear to hold great promise for accurately extending our knowledge of floodplains throughout the conterminous United States.

The Trenton Group of easternNorth America is a predominately carbonate series of sedimentary rocks that contains major oil and gas deposits. The 18 papers contained in this volume discuss the stratigraphy, depositional environment, tectonics, and petroleum and natural gas exploration in this sedimentary sequence. Each of the papers has been abstracted and indexed for the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Data Base.

Grassland ecosystems established under the conservation reserve program (CRP) in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) currently provide soil conservation and wildlife habitat services. We aimed to determine if these lands also sequester soil organic carbon (SOC), as compared with neighboring croplands across multiple farms in the NorthDakota PPR. We sampled soil from small plots at 17 private farms in the central NorthDakota PPR, where long-term (≥15 years) grasslands managed under the CRP were paired with neighboring annual croplands. Cores were collected to 100 cm and split into 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-70, and 70-100 cm soil depth layers. We hypothesized the effect of land use on soil organic carbon (SOC), root carbon (C), and bulk density would be greatest near the surface. For 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers, grasslands managed under the CRP were lower in bulk density and higher in SOC. From 0 to 70 cm, grasslands managed under the CRP were higher in root C. Average (±standard error) SOC for re-established grasslands and croplands was 25.39 (0.91) and 21.90 (1.02), respectively, for the 0-10 cm soil layer and 19.88 (0.86) and 18.31 (0.82), respectively, for the 10-20 soil layer. Compared to croplands, re-established grasslands sampled in the NorthDakota PPR were 3-13 % lower in bulk density and 9-16 % higher in SOC from 0 to 20 cm, while root C was 2-6 times greater from 0 to 70 cm. PMID:25813629

Grassland ecosystems established under the conservation reserve program (CRP) in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) currently provide soil conservation and wildlife habitat services. We aimed to determine if these lands also sequester soil organic carbon (SOC), as compared with neighboring croplands across multiple farms in the NorthDakota PPR. We sampled soil from small plots at 17 private farms in the central NorthDakota PPR, where long-term (≥15 years) grasslands managed under the CRP were paired with neighboring annual croplands. Cores were collected to 100 cm and split into 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-70, and 70-100 cm soil depth layers. We hypothesized the effect of land use on soil organic carbon (SOC), root carbon (C), and bulk density would be greatest near the surface. For 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers, grasslands managed under the CRP were lower in bulk density and higher in SOC. From 0 to 70 cm, grasslands managed under the CRP were higher in root C. Average (±standard error) SOC for re-established grasslands and croplands was 25.39 (0.91) and 21.90 (1.02), respectively, for the 0-10 cm soil layer and 19.88 (0.86) and 18.31 (0.82), respectively, for the 10-20 soil layer. Compared to croplands, re-established grasslands sampled in the NorthDakota PPR were 3-13 % lower in bulk density and 9-16 % higher in SOC from 0 to 20 cm, while root C was 2-6 times greater from 0 to 70 cm.

New federal drinking water regulations have been promulgated to restrict the levels of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in finished public water supplies. DBPs are suspected carcinogens and are formed when organic material is partially oxidized by disinfectants commonly used in the water treatment industry. Additional federal mandates are expected in the near future that will further affect public water suppliers with respect to DBPs. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) has traditionally been used by the water treatment industry for the removal of compounds contributing to taste and odor problems. PAC also has the potential to remove naturally occurring organic matter (NOM) from raw waters prior to disinfection, thus controlling the formation of regulated DBPs. Many small water systems are currently using PAC for taste and odor control and have the potential to use PAC for controlling DBPs. This project, a cooperative effort between the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), the Grand Forks Water Treatment Plant, and the University of NorthDakota Department of Civil Engineering, consists of several interrelated tasks. The objective of the research was to evaluate a cost-effective PAC produced from NorthDakota lignite for removing NOM from water and reducing trihalomethane formation potential. The research approach was to develop a statistically valid testing protocol that can be used to compare dose-response relationships between NorthDakota lignite-derived PAC and commercially available PAC products. A statistical analysis was performed to determine whether significant correlations exist between operating conditions, water properties, PAC properties, and dose-response behavior. Pertinent physical and chemical properties were also measured for each of the waters and each of the PACs.

Western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) populations have declined across much of western North America, particularly at the northern and eastern edges of the species’ breeding range (Martell et al. 2001, Murphy et al. 2001, Shyry et al. 2001, Skeel et al. 2001, Klute et al. 2003). In South Dakota, the burrowing owl is a summer resident that historically was relatively common throughout the state, but its range has decreased in recent decades, especially in the eastern half of the state (Whitney et al. 1978, South Dakota Ornithologists’ Union [SDOU] 1991, Peterson 1995). Tallman et al. (2002) described the species as uncommon to locally common in western South Dakota, uncommon in the north-central part of the state, and casual (i.e., not within the species’ normal range, but with 3–10 records in the past 10 years) elsewhere in the eastern half. The burrowing owl is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks [SDGFP] 2006) and a Level I Priority Species in South Dakota (Bakker 2005).

New data from 17 Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary sections and 53 vertebrate sites in the Hell Creek and Fort Union Formations in southwestern NorthDakota document a 1.76 m barren interval between the highest Cretaceous vertebrate fossils and the palynologically recognized K-T boundary. The boundary is above the formational contact at 15 localities and coincident with it at two, demonstrating that the formational contact is diachronous. Dinosaurs are common in the highest Cretaceous vertebrate samples and a partial dinosaur skeleton in the Fort Union Formation is the highest recorded Cretaceous vertebrate fossil in this area.

The Dakota Water Resources Act, passed by the U.S. Congress on December 15, 2000, authorized the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of future water-quantity and quality needs of the Red River of the North Basin in NorthDakota and possible options to meet those water needs. Previous Red River of the North Basin studies conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation used streamflow and water-quality data bases developed by the U.S. Geological Survey that included data for 1931-84. As a result of the recent congressional authorization and results of previous studies by the Bureau of Reclamation, redevelopment of the streamflow and water-quality data bases with current data through 1999 are needed in order to evaluate and predict the water-quantity and quality effects within the Red River of the North Basin. This report provides updated statistical summaries of selected water-quality constituents and streamflow and the regression relations between them. Available data for 1931-99 were used to develop regression equations between 5 selected water-quality constituents and streamflow for 38 gaging stations in the Red River of the North Basin. The water-quality constituents that were regressed against streamflow were hardness (as CaCO3), sodium, chloride, sulfate, and dissolved solids. Statistical summaries of the selected water-quality constituents and streamflow for the gaging stations used in the regression equations development and the applications and limitations of the regression equations are presented in this report.

Sixty-five sampling sites, selected by a statistical design to represent lengths of perennial streams in NorthDakota, were chosen to be sampled for water chemistry and mercury in fish tissue to establish unbiased baseline data. From the assessment of all water chemistry constituents, the percentage of stream length considered to be in poor condition was greater in the Rangeland Plains than in the Cultivated Plains. About 30 percent of perennial stream length in NorthDakota was considered to be in good condition on the basis of mercury concentrations in fish tissue.

A system of glacial outwash aquifers lie in the central James Valley in east-central South Dakota. Within this system, the eastern part of the Tulare aquifer, which has an area of approximately 681 square miles, was simulated by means of a numerical ground-water flow model. The model estimates the yearly average recharge rate for that part of the aquifer lying west of the James River to be approximately 23,000 acre-feet per year. This rate is considerably more than the estimated 1978 yearly average irrigation pumpage rate of 9,800 acre-feet per year. It is expected that, since pumping will reduce discharge from the aquifer through evapotranspiration and flow to the James River, this part of the aquifer would be able to supply irrigation water at recent pumpage rates for an indefinite period. For that part of the aquifer lying east of the river, estimated recharge is 6,800 acre-feet per year; a rate slightly smaller than the estimated 1978 yearly average irrigation pumpage rate of 7,200 acre-feet per year. It is estimated that this part of the aquifer would be able to supply irrigation water at 7,200 acre-feet per year for approximately 50 years, at which time excessive drawdown would begin to cause reduced well yields at several locations. (USGS)

As part of a program to support development of pesticide management plans for Indian Reservations, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make selected information available to the Tribes or in a format easier for the Tribes to use. As a result of this program, four digital data sets related to the geology or hydrology of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation were produced as part of this report. The digital data sets are based on maps published in 1982 at the 1:250,000 scale in 'Geohydrology of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, North and South Dakota,' U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-644 by L.W. Howells. The digital data sets were created by 1) scanning the appropriate map to create an image file, 2) registering the image file to real-world coordinates, 3) creating a new image file rectified to real-world coordinates, and 4) digitizing of the features of interest using the rectified image as a guide. As digital data sets, the information can be used in a geographic information system in combination with other information to help develop a pesticide management plan.

Certain ecosystem types, particularly wetlands, have environmental characteristics that can make them particularly sensitive to mercury inputs and that can result in large mercury concentrations in fish or other aquatic biota. To provide information needed to make effective management decisions to decrease human and wildlife exposure to methylmercury in northern prairie pothole wetlands, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the NorthDakota Department of Health, conducted a study to assess mercury and methylmercury concentrations in wetlands at the Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge) in northwest NorthDakota. In April 2003 and 2004, water and bottom-sediment samples were collected from 44 individual wetlands that were classified as one of four wetland types. Many factors that may affect methylmercury production were considered in the study. The prairie pothole wetlands at the Refuge had large ranges in major environmental characteristics. Hydrologic differences, most notably semiannual wetting and drying cycles, that are intrinsic to prairie pothole wetlands affected methylmercury concentrations. This likely resulted from the stimulation of anaerobic microbial activity following reflooding of soils, particularly soils containing substantial organic carbon. Among the four wetland types considered for this study, seasonal and semipermanent wetlands generally had the largest methylmercury concentrations. Regardless of wetland type, however, methylmercury concentrations at the Refuge are large in relation to reported concentrations for natural aquatic systems.

Phenological data were collected by the occasional diligent observer in the USA over the past 100 years. Many of those data languish virtually forgotten in archive boxes, filing cabinets, or even articles in regional journals. With the recent establishment of the USA National Phenology Network, there has been a resurgence of interest in phenological observation and analysis. Here we present an exploratory analysis of five phenological datasets, three of which were recently rediscovered at the Kansas State University Herbarium and rescued into the digital age. The Hitchcock data covers first flowering dates (FFDs) of many species in vicinity of Manhattan, KS, for 1893-1898. The Crevecour dataset has FFDs in Onaga, KS, during two periods: 1910-1916 and 1920-1927. The Gates dataset has FFDs is also focused in Manhattan, KS, covering the period 1926-1955. The NorthDakota data were collected by Stevens from 1910-1961 (Travers & Dunnell 2009), but he also published a series of articles in American Midland Naturalist that describe phenological data from Blue Rapids and Manhattan, KS, from 1904-1909. We contrast the Kansas FFD patterns with those in NorthDakota; these locations fall roughly along the same meridian of longitude, but separated by more than 7 degrees of latitude. We also examine the time series of FFDs in relation to major climate modes.

The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978 authorized the US Department of Energy (DOE) to perform remedial actions at Belfield and Bowman inactive lignite ashing sites in southwestern NorthDakota to reduce the potential public health impacts from the residual radioactivity remaining at the sites. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated standards (40 CFR 192) that contain measures to control the residual radioactive materials and other contaminated materials, and proposed standards to protect the groundwater from further degradation. Remedial action at the Belfield and Bowman sites must be performed in accordance with these standards and with the concurrence of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the state of NorthDakota. The Belfield and Bowman designated sites were used by Union Carbide and Kerr-McGee, respectively, to process uraniferous lignite in the 1960s. Uranium-rich ash from rotary kiln processing of the lignite was loaded into rail cars and transported to uranium mills in Rifle, Colorado, and Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico, respectively. As a result of the ashing process, there is a total of 158,400 cubic yards (yd{sup 3}) [121,100 cubic meters (m{sup 3})] of radioactive ash-contaminated soils at the two sites. Windblown ash-contaminated soil covers an additional 21 acres (8.5 ha) around the site, which includes grazing land, wetlands, and a wooded habitat.

Recent increases in oil and gas extraction activities and well counts in NorthDakota have raised questions on the ambient impact of the emissions from these processes. A Chevy Tahoe SUV was equipped with a PICARRO G2203 analyzer to measure methane and acetylene, a PICARRO A0941 mobile kit to measure GPS coordinates, an AethLabs micro-aethalometer to measure black carbon concentrations and a Radiance Research nephelometer to measure light scattering coefficient values. The SUV was used as a mobile platform to drive through different locations in NorthDakota and measure the compounds noted above and also collect ambient air samples. The methane and acetylene concentrations were used to identify areas of interest, where evacuated stainless steel canisters were used to collect air samples and then transported to the laboratory where a three gas chromatograph system equipped with two flame ionization detectors (FID), two electron capture detectors (ECD), and a mass spectrometer (MS) was used to measure various VOC concentrations. The results from these measurements will be discussed here with an emphasis on the differences between rural and urban areas and locations with high instances oil and gas activities.

Native grassland communities controlled by public agencies become increasingly important to the maintenance of many wildlife species as privately owned grasslands are destroyed or degraded for farming, mining, and development. In turn, wildlife on publicly owned grasslands are affected by the management techniques practiced by local managers. We studied the effects of grazing and prescribed burning on upland-nesting ducks and the structure and type of vegetation from 1980 to 1988 at the Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern NorthDakota. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the most abundant species at Lostwood NWR, had lower (P < 0.05) annual nest densities on experimental and control fields in the later years than in the early years of the study. Spring burning reduced (P = 0.016) nest densities of gadwall (A. strepera). Spring grazing reduced nest densities of gadwall (P = 0.014), and blue-winged teal (A. discors, P = 0.023). Nest density of gadwall increased (P = 0.018) after spring grazing was terminated. On the summer burn/spring graze fields, blue-winged teal had lower (P = 0.010) nest densities after treatments (1987-88) than before treatments (1980-81). Nest success was high (mallard 34%, gadwall 45%, blue-winged teal 31%) but was not influenced (P 0.16) by the burning and grazing treatments. During the study, the amount of grass/brush increased, whereas the amount of brush and brush/grass decreased on control and treatment fields. During the years with burning and grazing, short vegetation increased and tall vegetation decreased. On the spring graze fields, 1 year after grazing ended the vegetation was similar to that on the control fields. The spring burn and summer burn/spring graze fields recovered more slowly. Brushy species such as western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) provided attractive nesting habitat for many upland-nesting waterfowl species, especially mallard, gadwall, American wigeon (A. americana), and northern pintail (A

... Bureau of Land Management Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey, North Carolina AGENCY: Bureau of Land... survey was requested by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The land surveyed is: Swain County, North Carolina... in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Swain County, in the State of North Carolina,...

The Dakota sandstone and the overlying dense plastic shales form the most remarkable artesian basin in the United States with respect to its great extent, the long distances through which its water has percolated from the outcrops of the sandstone in the western mountains to the areas of artesian flow, and especially the tremendous pressure under which the water in the sandstone was originally by thick and continuous cover of impermeable shales. In 1882 a well was drilled to the Dakota sandstone at Aberdeen, S. Dak., by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. This well was reported by Nettleton1 to have been "the first bore put down which reached the artesian basin of the Dakotas." In 1896 Darton2 estimated that about 400 artesian wells had been drilled to the Dakota sandstone, presumably in South Dakota and adjacent parts of the artesian basin in NorthDakota which he investigated.3 The strongest of these wells had pressures ranging from 100 to more than 200 pounds to the square inch and flows ranging from 1,000 to more than 4,000 gallons a minute. The present brief paper is based chiefly on the data that have been obtained in the successive surveys in regard to about 230 artesian wells in or near the Edgeley quadrangle. A table of these well data is on file in the United States Geological Survey and is to be published in the detailed report on the geology and hydrology of the Edgeley and La Moure quadrangles that has been prepared by Mr. Hard. The well data obtained by Mr. Hard have already been published in a report prepared by him in his capacity as State flood-control engineer.

A soils map for land evaluation in Potter County (Eastern South Dakota) was developed to demonstrate the use of remote sensing technology in the area of diverse parent materials and topography. General land use and soils maps have also been developed for land planning LANDSAT, RB-57 imagery, and USGS photographs are being evaluated for making soils and land use maps. LANDSAT fulfilled the requirements for general land use and a general soils map. RB-57 imagery supplemented by large scale black and white stereo coverage was required to provide the detail needed for the final soils map for land evaluation. Color infrared prints excelled black and white coverage for this soil mapping effort. An identification and classification key for wetland types in the Lake Dakota Plain was developed for June 1975 using color infrared imagery. Wetland types in the region are now being mapped via remote sensing techniques to provide a current inventory for development of mitigation measures.

Devils Lake and Stump Lake in northeastern NorthDakota receive surface runoff from a 3,810-square-mile drainage basin, and evaporation provides the only major water loss unless the lakes are above their natural spill elevation to the Sheyenne River. In September 2007, flow from Devils Lake to Stump Lake had filled Stump Lake and the two lakes consisted of essentially one water body with an elevation of 1,447.1 feet, about 3 feet below the existing base flood elevation (1,450 feet) and about 12 feet below the natural outlet elevation to the Sheyenne River (1,459 feet). Devils Lake could continue to rise, causing extensive additional flood damages in the basin and, in the event of an uncontrolled natural spill, downstream in the Red River of the North Basin. This report describes the results of a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to evaluate future flood risk for Devils Lake and provide information for developing updated flood-insurance rate maps and planning flood-mitigation activities such as raising levees or roads. In about 1980, a large, abrupt, and highly significant increase in precipitation occurred in the Devils Lake Basin and elsewhere in the Northern Great Plains, and wetter-than-normal conditions have persisted through the present (2007). Although future precipitation is impossible to predict, paleoclimatic evidence and recent research on climate dynamics indicate the current wet conditions are not likely to end anytime soon. For example, there is about a 72-percent chance wet conditions will last at least 10 more years and about a 37-percent chance wet conditions will last at least 30 more years. A stochastic simulation model for Devils Lake and Stump Lake developed in a previous study was updated and used to generate 10,000 potential future realizations, or traces, of precipitation, evaporation, inflow, and lake levels given existing conditions on September 30, 2007, and randomly

This course guide for an electrical/electronic technology course is one of four developed for the energy/power area in the NorthDakota senior high industrial arts education program. (Eight other guides are available for two other areas of Industrial Arts--graphic communications and production.) Part 1 provides such introductory information as a…

Country schools were important in the growth and development of NorthDakota. While most of the early schools were constructed of wood, some were constructed of stone, sod, or logs. Standardization was established by 1915, and the white framed one-room school was duplicated in every township of the state until the end of World War II. A former…

The series of programmed teaching guides for the enterprise analysis of selected enterprises was prepared by the participants in a Farm Management Education In-Service Workshop at NorthDakota State University. The guide should be useful to teachers of adult Farm Managment classes in helping to teach farmers to make a thorough analysis of the…

Background: The NorthEastern Region in India is endemic for canine heartworm disease but in clinics accurate diagnosis is some times difficult. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of occult infections for heartworm disease in canine in two geographical regions of NorthEastern India. Methods: A total of 782 numbers of three categories of dogs namely, working dogs of military and paramilitary forces, pet dogs and stray dogs were screened for the presence of heartworm infection from August 2011 to July, 2012 in Guwahati (Assam) and Aizawl (Mizoram). Conventional, immunological and molecular techniques were followed for this epidemiological study. The criteria to determine the occult heartworm cases were based on the differences between heartworm positive cases in PCR test and antigen ELISA test. Results: The findings revealed an overall 22.69 percent occult case. The working dogs had highest prevalence (60%) followed by pet (29.16%) and stray dogs (17.75%). Conclusion: The highest percentage of occult heartworm infection was present in working dogs maintained under military or paramilitary forces. PMID:27047976

Loss of native grasslands to tillage has increased the importance of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands to maintain ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) populations. Despite the importance of CRP to pheasants, little is known about the effects of CRP field age and cover type on pheasant abundance and productivity in the northern Great Plains. Therefore, we assessed effects of these characteristics on pheasant use of CRP fields. We stratified CRP grasslands (n=42) by CRP stand age (old [10-13 yrs] vs. new [1-3 yrs] grasslands) and cover type (CP1 [cool-season grasslands] vs. CP2 [warm-season grasslands]) in eastern South Dakota and used crowing counts and roadside brood counts to index ring-necked pheasant abundance and productivity. Field-age and cover-type effects on pheasant abundance and productivity were largely the result of differences in vegetation structure among fields. More crowing pheasants were recorded in old cool-season CRP fields than any other age or cover type, and more broods were recorded in cool- than warm-season CRP fields. Extending existing CRP contracts another 5-10 years would provide the time necessary for new fields to acquire the vegetative structure used most by pheasants without a gap in habitat availability. Cool-season grass-legume mixtures (CP1) that support higher pheasant productivity should be given equal or higher ratings than warm-season (CP2) grass stands. We also recommend that United States Department of Agriculture administrators and field staff provide broader and more flexible guidelines on what seed mixtures can be used in CRP grassland plantings in the northern Great Plains. This would allow landowners and natural resource professionals who manage pheasant habitat to plant a mosaic of cool- and warm-season CRP grassland habitats.

Protecting natural resources while maintaining or maximizing crop yield potential is of utmost importance for sustainable crop and livestock production systems. Since soil organic matter and its decomposition by soil organisms is at the very foundation of healthy productive soils, systems research at the NorthDakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center is evaluating seasonal soil nitrogen fertility within an integrated crop and livestock production system. The 5-year diverse crop rotation is: sunflower (SF) - hard red spring wheat (HRSW) - fall seeded winter triticale-hairy vetch (THV; spring harvested for hay)/spring seeded 7-species cover crop (CC) - Corn (C) (85-90 day var.) - field pea-barley intercrop (PBY). The HRSW and SF are harvested as cash crops and the PBY, C, and CC are harvested by grazing cattle. In the system, yearling beef steers graze the PBY and C before feedlot entry and after weaning, gestating beef cows graze the CC. Since rotation establishment, four crop years have been harvested from the crop rotation. All crops have been seeded using a JD 1590 no-till drill except C and SF. Corn and SF were planted using a JD 7000 no-till planter. The HRSW, PBY, and CC were seeded at a soil depth of 3.8 cm and a row width of 19.1 cm. Seed placement for the C and SF crops was at a soil depth of 5.1 cm and the row spacing was 0.762 m. The plant population goal/ha for C, SF, and wheat was 7,689, 50,587, and 7,244 p/ha, respectively. During the 3rd cropping year, soil bulk density was measured and during the 4th cropping year, seasonal nitrogen fertility was monitored throughout the growing season from June to October. Seasonal nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), total season mineral nitrogen (NO3-N + NH4-N), cropping system NO3-N, and bulk density were measured in 3 replicated non-fertilized field plot areas within each 10.6 ha triple replicated crop fields. Within each plot area, 6 - 20.3 cm x 0.61 m aluminum irrigation

The Scaling Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains through Regional Climate Summaries and Local Qualitative-Quantitative Scenario Planning Workshops project synthesizes climate data into 3-5 distinct but plausible climate summaries for the northern Great Plains region; crafts quantitative summaries of these climate futures for two focal areas; and applies these local summaries by developing climate-resource-management scenarios through participatory workshops and, where possible, simulation models. The two focal areas are central NorthDakota and southwest South Dakota (Figure 1). The primary objective of this project is to help resource managers and scientists in a focal area use scenario planning to make management and planning decisions based on assessments of critical future uncertainties.This report summarizes project work for public and tribal lands in the central NorthDakota focal area, with an emphasis on Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. The report explainsscenario planning as an adaptation tool in general, then describes how it was applied to the central NorthDakota focal area in three phases. Priority resource management and climate uncertainties were identified in the orientation phase. Local climate summaries for relevant, divergent, and challenging climate scenarios were developed in the second phase. In the final phase, a two-day scenario planning workshop held November 12-13, 2015 in Bismarck, ND, featured scenario development and implications, testing management decisions, and methods for operationalizing scenario planning outcomes.

Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for ethylene-oxide at United Hospital, Grand Forks, NorthDakota in January, 1985. The survey was requested by the management to determine if using ethylene-oxide for sterilization purposes posed a health risk. All employees (number not specified) in the central supply department were interviewed. These concentrations originated from an old sterilizer. The sterilizer was not normally used, but was operated on the day of the survey to stimulate a worst-case situation. None of the workers had any medical complaints. The author concludes that a health hazard due to ethylene-oxide does not exist at the facility. He recommends not using the old sterilizer until it has been refurbished and conducting periodic monitoring for ethylene/oxide with an infrared analyzer.

Evaporation from Wetland Pl in the Cottonwood Lake area of NorthDakota, USA was determined by the energy-budget method for 1982-85 and 1987. Evaporation rates were as high as 0.672 cm day-1. Incoming solar radiation, incoming atmospheric radiation, and long-wave radiation emitted from the water body are the largest energy fluxes to and from the wetland. Because of the small heat storage of the water body, evaporation rates closely track solar radiation on short time scales. The effect of advected energy related to precipitation is small because the water quickly heats up by solar radiation following precipitation. Advected energy related to ground water is minimal because ground-water fluxes are small and groundwater temperature is only about 7 ??C. Energy flux related to sediment heating and thermal storage in the sediments, which might be expected to be large because the water is clear and shallow, affects evaporation rates by less than 5 percent.

The author has identified the following significant results. Two examples of haze correction algorithms were tested: CROP-A and XSTAR. The CROP-A was tested in a unitemporal mode on data collected in 1973-74 over ten sample segments in Kansas. Because of the uniformly low level of haze present in these segments, no conclusion could be reached about CROP-A's ability to compensate for haze. It was noted, however, that in some cases CROP-A made serious errors which actually degraded classification performance. The haze correction algorithm XSTAR was tested in a multitemporal mode on 1975-76 LACIE sample segment data over 23 blind sites in Kansas and 18 sample segments in NorthDakota, providing wide range of haze levels and other conditions for algorithm evaluation. It was found that this algorithm substantially improved signature extension classification accuracy when a sum-of-likelihoods classifier was used with an alien rejection threshold.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) initiated remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and groundwater associated with gasoline release at the Farmers Union Oil station in Garrison, NorthDakota. The remedial strategy implemented is based on application of two innovative concepts: (1) simultaneous operation of soil vapor and multiphase extraction systems allowing for water table control in challenging geotechnical conditions and (2) controlled hot-air circulation between injection and extraction wells to accelerated in situ volatilization and stripping of contaminants of concern (COC) alternatively using the same wells as either extraction or injection points. A proactive remedial approach is required to reduce high COC levels in the source and impacted areas and to eliminate long-term health risks associated with contaminant migration to water-bearing zones used as a regional water supply source. This report compiles results of Phase I focused on design, construction, and start-up of remediation systems.

In 1999, 1 Gt (1.1 billion st) of coal was produced in the United States. Of this total, 37% was produced in Wyoming, Montana and NorthDakota. Coals of Tertiary age from these states typically have low ash contents. Most of these coals have sulfur contents that are in compliance with Clean Air Act standards and most have low concentrations of the trace elements that are of environmental concern. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Coal Resource Assessment for these states includes geologic, stratigraphic, palynologic and geochemical studies and resource calculations for major Tertiary coal zones in the Powder River, Williston, Greater Green River, Hanna and Carbon Basins. Calculated resources are 595 Gt (655 billion st). Results of the study are available in a USGS Professional Paper and a USGS Open-File Report, both in CD-ROM format.

... Bureau of Land Management Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey, North Carolina AGENCY: Bureau of Land... County, North Carolina The plats of survey represent the dependent resurvey of a portion of the Qualla... of North Carolina, and was accepted December 19, 2012. Swain County, North Carolina The plat...

The United Arab Emirates is adjacent to the Iranian plateau characterized by very high density of active and recent faults. The Iranian plateau is one of the seismically active areas of the world and frequently suffers destructive and catastrophic earthquakes that cause heavy loss of human life and widespread damage. Therefore seismic risk in the NorthEastern UAE (Sharjah and Dubai) is due to the neighboring very active Iranian seismotectonic province. As almost all foundation soils in the UAE are cohesionless material, which is clearly identified as recent fill deposits in major industrial and residential areas, and given the rapid on-shore infrastructure developments in the NorthEastern UAE, and due to the lack of geo-hazards maps, it is considered vital to develop liquefaction hazard maps for these areas. The earthquake risk was brought to the attention of the public and the government upon the recent March 11, 2002 earthquake of magnitude 5.1 on Richter Scale that struck the northern emirates and caused slight damages. Initial seismic hazard assessment studies showed that Design Horizontal Peak Ground Accelerations (PGA) in Sharjah and Dubai with 90% probabilities of non-exceedence in 50 years is around 200 cm/sec^2. This study is concerned with the development of liquefaction hazard maps in NorthEastern Emirates UAE Cities of Sharjah and Dubai. Liquefaction hazard potential for various soil deposits in these cities is evaluated for different Peak Ground Acceleation Values. Data from thorough geotechnical studies were evaluated. This include boreholes drilling (with SPT tests) and shear strength for representative sand samples taken from several boreholes and at different depths. Liquefaction hazard potential is evaluated at representative sites in the city of Dubai and Sharjah using the state of the art liquefaction potential evaluation methods (e.g. Seed's cyclic stress ratio approach). Results indicate clearly that the coastal areas have a high potential

The goal of this project is to provide a technical review and evaluation of various carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) capture technologies, with a focus on the applicability to lignite-fired facilities within NorthDakota. The motivation for the project came from the Lignite Energy Council's (LEC's) need to identify the feasibility of CO{sub 2} capture technologies for existing NorthDakota lignite-fired, pulverized coal (pc) power plants. A literature review was completed to determine the commercially available technologies as well as to identify emerging CO{sub 2} capture technologies that are currently in the research or demonstration phase. The literature review revealed few commercially available technologies for a coal-fired power plant. CO{sub 2} separation and capture using amine scrubbing have been performed for several years in industry and could be applied to an existing pc-fired power plant. Other promising technologies do exist, but many are still in the research and demonstration phases. Oxyfuel combustion, a technology that has been used in industry for several years to increase boiler efficiency, is in the process of being tailored for CO{sub 2} separation and capture. These two technologies were chosen for evaluation for CO{sub 2} separation and capture from coal-fired power plants. Although oxyfuel combustion is still in the pilot-scale demonstration phase, it was chosen to be evaluated at LEC's request because it is one of the most promising emerging technologies. As part of the evaluation of the two chosen technologies, a conceptual design, a mass and energy balance, and an economic evaluation were completed.

Production from the Bakken and Three Forks Formations continues to trend upward as forecasts predict significant production of oil from unconventional resources nationwide. As the U.S. Geological Survey reevaluates the 3.65 billion bbl technically recoverable estimate of 2008, technological advancements continue to unlock greater unconventional oil resources, and new discoveries continue within NorthDakota. It is expected that the play will continue to expand to the southwest, newly develop in the northeastern and northwestern corners of the basin in NorthDakota, and fully develop in between. Although not all wells are economical, the economic success rate has been near 75% with more than 90% of wells finding oil. Currently, only about 15% of the play has been drilled, and recovery rates are less than 5%, providing a significant future of wells to be drilled and untouched hydrocarbons to be pursued through improved stimulation practices or enhanced oil recovery. This study provides the technical characterizations that are necessary to improve knowledge, provide characterization, validate generalizations, and provide insight relative to hydrocarbon recovery in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations. Oil-saturated rock charged from the Bakken shales and prospective Three Forks can be produced given appropriate stimulation treatments. Highly concentrated fracture stimulations with ceramic- and sand-based proppants appear to be providing the best success for areas outside the Parshall and Sanish Fields. Targeting of specific lithologies can influence production from both natural and induced fracture conductivity. Porosity and permeability are low, but various lithofacies units within the formation are highly saturated and, when targeted with appropriate technology, release highly economical quantities of hydrocarbons.

The most heavily used herbicides, 2,4-D and MCPA, were infrequently detected in stream-water samples. Of the estimated applications of atrazine, triallate, and 2,4-D, about 0.9, 0.06, and 0.02 percent of each of these compounds, respectively, was carried out of the study unit by the Red River of the North during 1993-95.

... National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XA018 EasternNorth Pacific Gray Whale; Notice of... Pacific population of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal... assessment report for EasternNorth Pacific gray whales is available on the Internet at the following...

This ethnographic study employs a gender perspective to understand the motivations of eight women literacy learners participating in a village-based functional literacy programme in rural North-eastern Thailand. Field research took place over six months of periodic residence in a North-eastern Thai village, and involved participant observation,…

The purpose of the study is to explore cancer screening predictors and practices among Lumbee Indians in easternNorth Carolina. Interviewers from the community conducted phone interviews with 333 men and 456 women aged 40 and older randomly selected from the Lumbee Tribal roll as part of the Lumbee Diabetes and Health Survey. The survey has sections on demographic information and health conditions, family history of chronic conditions, and health behaviors. This paper reports on cancer screening behaviors. Rates of ever being screened for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer were relatively high compared with overall national rates. Predictors included younger age, better health, more education, and lifestyle factors such as engaging in regular physical activity and not smoking. Future research should focus on developing culturally appropriate campaigns to increase the frequency of cancer screening to conform to guidelines, and educational programs and interventions to reach Lumbee Indians most at risk for not being screened. PMID:16311489

Plants are sensitive indicators of climate change and the analysis of shifts in phenological records may help in confirming trends not easily detected by instrumental observations alone. We have analyzed a detailed phenological database for grapevine, using observations collected from 1986 to 2008 in two sites of North-Eastern Italy, on the cultivars Prosecco, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Parameters of models for winter dormancy, vegetative growth, and ripening phases have been fitted and validated on a subset, yielding a consistent estimate of chilling and heat requirements. A significant shift of flowering, veraison and harvest dates were observed, reaching almost -1 day per year in the warmer site for the earlier cultivars. While traditional breeding programs have been so far seeking for early ripening capacity, the trends we detected show the close risk of a negative impact of climate change on enological characteristics of grapes even in Northern Italy and the opportunity to look for late-ripening types.

Although some plant traits have been linked to invasion success, the possible effects of regional factors, such as diversity, habitat suitability, and human activity are not well understood. Each of these mechanisms predicts a different pattern of distribution at the regional scale. Thus, where climate and soils are similar, predictions based on regional hypotheses for invasion success can be tested by comparisons of distributions in the source and receiving regions. Here, we analyse the native and alien geographic ranges of all 1567 plant species that have been introduced between eastern Asia and North America or have been introduced to both regions from elsewhere. The results reveal correlations between the spread of exotics and both the native species richness and transportation networks of recipient regions. This suggests that both species interactions and human-aided dispersal influence exotic distributions, although further work on the relative importance of these processes is needed. ?? 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Devils Lake is a saline lake in a large, closed drainage basin in northeastern NorthDakota. Previous studies determined that major-ion and nutrient concentrations in Devils Lake are strongly affected by microbially mediated sulfate reduction and dissolution of sulfate and carbonate minerals in the bottom sediments. These studies documented substantial spatial variability in the magnitude of calculated benthic fluxes coincident with the horizontal salinity gradient in Devils Lake. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate seasonal variability in benthic-flux rates, and to understand the effect of these fluxes on the major- chemistries in Devils Lake between May and October 1991. During the study period, the water column was well mixed, and specific conductance, pH, and temperature did not vary with depth. Dissolved oxygen was enriched near the lake surface due to photosynthesis. Major-ion concentrations and nutrient concentrations did not vary with depth. Because the water-quality data were obtained during open-water periods, the vertical profiles reflect well-mixed conditions. However, the first and last profiles for the study period did document near-bottom maxima of major cations. Secchi-disk depth varied from 0.82 meter on May 7, 1991, to 2.13 meters on June 5, 1991. The mean Secchi-disk depth during the study period was 1.24 meters. Seasonal variations in Secchi-disk depths were attributed to variations in primary productivity and phytoplankton communities. Nutrient cycles in Devils Lake were evaluated using gross primary productivity rate data, sediment trap data, and major-ion and nutrient benthic-flux rate data. Gross primary productivity rate was smallest in May (0.076 gram of carbon per square meter per day) and largest in September (1.8 grams of carbon per square meter per day). Average gross primary productivity for the study period was 0.87 gram of carbon per square meter per day. Average gross primary productivity is consistent with historic

This U.S. Geological Survey report documents a conceptual and numerical model of the glacial aquifer system north of Aberdeen, South Dakota, that can be used to evaluate and manage the city of Aberdeen's water resources. The glacial aquifer system in the model area includes the Elm, Middle James, and Deep James aquifers, with intervening confining units composed of glacial till. The Elm aquifer ranged in thickness from less than 1 to about 95 feet (ft), with an average thickness of about 24 ft; the Middle James aquifer ranged in thickness from less than 1 to 91 ft, with an average thickness of 13 ft; and the Deep James aquifer ranged in thickness from less than 1 to 165 ft, with an average thickness of 23 ft. The confining units between the aquifers consisted of glacial till and ranged in thickness from 0 to 280 ft. The general direction of groundwater flow in the Elm aquifer in the model area was from northwest to southeast following the topography. Groundwater flow in the Middle James aquifer was to the southeast. Sparse data indicated a fairly flat potentiometric surface for the Deep James aquifer. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity for the Elm aquifer determined from aquifer tests ranged from 97 to 418 feet per day (ft/d), and a confined storage coefficient was determined to be 2.4x10-5. Estimates of the vertical hydraulic conductivity of the sediments separating the Elm River from the Elm aquifer, determined from the analysis of temperature gradients, ranged from 0.14 to 2.48 ft/d. Average annual precipitation in the model area was 19.6 inches per year (in/yr), and agriculture was the primary land use. Recharge to the Elm aquifer was by infiltration of precipitation through overlying outwash, lake sediments, and glacial till. The annual recharge for the model area, calculated by using a soil-water-balance method for water year (WY) 1975-2009, ranged from 0.028 inch in WY 1980 to 4.52 inches in WY 1986, with a mean of 1.56 inches. The annual potential

Historic monthly streamflow data were compiled and missing historic and naturalized monthly streamflow data were estimated to develop a database of updated streamflow data for January 1931 through December 2001 (the data-development period) for 35 sites in the Red River of the North Basin. Of the 35 sites, 4 had gaged historic monthly streamflow data for the entire data-development period, 10 had gaged historic monthly streamflow data for part of the data-development period, and 21 had no gaged historic monthly streamflow data. To develop the database, a modified drainage-area ratio method, a maintenance of variance extension type 1 method, and a water-balance method were used to estimate the missing historic monthly streamflow data. Naturalized streamflow for the 35 sites was estimated by eliminating the hydrologic effects of Orwell Dam, Reservation Dam, White Rock Dam, Baldhill Dam, surfacewater withdrawals, and return flows.

A relatively large fraction of stream samples had detectable quantities of 2,4-D, a- and y-HCH, and atrazine. These samples covered time spans of as much as 15 years and were from sites downstream from large drainage basins; however, concentrations were well below US EPA MCLs. One county-level study showed higher 2,4-D concentrations at upstream sites than at the outlet from a small basin. This indicates that downstream sites may fail to show impaired water-quality and the fate of pesticides used in the basin. Following the 1972 ban on DDT, concentrations of DDT in fish samples from the Red River of the North quickly decreased. Fish concentrations of DDE and DDD decreased more slowly. Low levels of DDE and DDD were detected in fish 14 years after the DDT ban.

The Bureau of Reclamation identified eight water-supply alternatives for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. Of those alternatives, six were considered for this study. Those six alternatives include a no-action alternative, two in-basin alternatives, and three interbasin alternatives. To address concerns of stakeholders and to provide information for an environmental impact statement, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, developed and applied a water-quality model to simulate the transport of total dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, sodium, and total phosphorus during unsteady-flow conditions and to simulate the effects of the water-supply alternatives on water quality in the Red River and the Sheyenne River. The physical domain of the model, hereinafter referred to as the Red River model, includes the Red River from Wahpeton, NorthDakota, to Emerson, Manitoba, and the Sheyenne River from below Baldhill Dam, NorthDakota, to the confluence with the Red River. Boundary conditions were specified for May 15 through October 31, 2003, and January 15 through June 30, 2004. Measured streamflow data were available for August 1 through October 31, 2003, and April 1 through June 30, 2004, but water-quality data were available only for September 15 through 16, 2003, and May 10 through 13, 2004. The water-quality boundary conditions were assumed to be time invariant for the entire calibration period and to be equal to the measured value. The average difference between the measured and simulated streamflows was less than 4 percent for both calibration periods, and most differences were less than 2 percent. The average differences are considered to be acceptable because the differences are less than 5 percent, or the same as the error that would be expected in a typical streamflow measurement. Simulated total dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, and sodium concentrations generally were less than measured concentrations for both

... NAAQS at the Rocky Flats North monitor (values of and 0.086 ppm, respectively).'' The commenter also... asserts that monitoring data for 2005-07 and 2006-08 for the Rocky Flats North monitor reflect violations of the 8-hour NAAQS and therefore EPA should consider this Rocky Flats North monitor as...

Carbonate-cemented, fossil-rich concretions are a prominent feature in the clastic, marine rocks of the Fox Hills Fm., of NorthDakota and South Dakota. Preliminary petrographic, paleontologic, chemical and isotopic data from three sandstone concretions suggest initial nucleation at very shallow burial depths (< 1m). Decomposition of organic-rich fecal material produced localized anoxic and alkaline conditions which induced phosphatization, sulfate reduction (pyrite formation) and possibly adipocire (Ca(RCOO)/sub 2/) formation. These processes were responsible for the formation of an unlithified proto-concretion. The elevated pH at the concretion site allowed calcite precipitation while calcareous shell material in the surrounding sediment experience dissolution. Transformation of adipocire (.) produced a ferroan isopachous carbonate cement. Following this, Fascicular-optic and Radiaxial-fibrous calcite, volumetrically the most significant cement was precipitated. RFC represents the morphological transition from acicular FOC to the late stage, equant, Blocky Calcite (BC). Scanning Electron Microscopy of FOC-RFC indicates the habit of radiating crystals and constituent subcrystals and suggests causes for the unusual optical properties of FOC and RFC. Atomic Absorption data demonstrate decreases in Mg, Fe, Sr and Mn between FOC and BC. Cathodoluminescence (CL) reveals gradational boundaries between morphologically distinct cements and a bright zone corresponding to RFC. Most well preserved aragonitic shells indicate few signs of replacement by calcite. However, some pelecypod shells show an unusual form of replacement whereby shell volume and structure are preserved, although completely replaced by FOC. CL also reveals the amount of replacement as indicated by a blending of carbonate luminescent colors (calcite = red; aragonite = blue).

Late Cenozoic terrestrial fossil records of North America are biased by a predominance of mid-latitude deposits, mostly in the western half of the continent. Consequently, the biological history of easternNorth America, including the eastern deciduous forest, remains largely hidden. Unfortunately, vertebrate fossil sites from this vast region are rare, and few pertain to the critically important late Tertiary period, during which intensified global climatic changes took place. Moreover, strong phylogenetic affinities between the flora of easternNorth America and eastern Asia clearly demonstrate formerly contiguous connections, but disparity among shared genera (eastern Asia-easternNorth America disjunction) implies significant periods of separation since at least the Miocene epoch. Lacustrine sediments deposited within a former sinkhole in the southern Appalachian Mountains provide a rare example of a late Miocene to early Pliocene terrestrial biota from a forested ecosystem. Here we show that the vertebrate remains contained within this deposit represent a unique combination of North American and Eurasian taxa. A new genus and species of the red (lesser) panda (Pristinailurus bristoli), the earliest and most primitive so far known, was recovered. Also among the fauna are a new species of Eurasian badger (Arctomeles dimolodontus) and the largest concentration of fossil tapirs ever recorded. Cladistical analyses of the two new carnivores strongly suggest immigration events that were earlier than and distinct from previous records, and that the close faunal affinities between easternNorth America and eastern Asia in the late Tertiary period are consistent with the contemporaneous botanical record. PMID:15457257

From January through October 2006, six sets of water-quality samples were collected at 28 sites, which included inflow and outflow from seven major municipal water-treatment plants (14 sites) and influent and effluent samples from seven major municipal wastewater treatment plants (14 sites) along the Red River of the North in NorthDakota and Minnesota. Samples were collected in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation for use in the development of return-flow boundary conditions in a 2006 water-quality model for the Red River of the North. All samples were analyzed for nutrients and major ions. For one set of effluent samples from each of the wastewater-treatment plants, water was analyzed for Eschirichia coli, fecal coliform, 20-day biochemical oxygen demand, 20-day nitrogenous biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon. In general, results from the field equipment blank and replicate samples indicate that the overall process of sample collection, processing, and analysis did not introduce substantial contamination and that consistent results were obtained.

Additional characterization was performed at the Belfield and Bowman sites to resolve issues raised at the preliminary design meetings held in San Francisco in May and July, 1988. The characterization was performed in September of 1988. Radiation surveys were performed at the grain elevator at Bowman, and the Dakota Honey building and the kiln foundation at Belfield. The exterior of the grain elevator at Bowman was surveyed for both total and removable alpha contamination. Measurements were made on the exterior of the vertical elevator walls and on the horizontal foundation slab. Soil samples were taken at six locations around the immediate perimeter of the grain elevator. Interior measurements at the grain elevator consisted of both alpha and gamma radiation surveys. Both total and removable alpha measurements were performed on the interior walls and floors. Gamma measurements were made at the floor surface and at one meter above the floor surface. The Dakota Honey building at Belfield was also surveyed for total alpha contamination, removable alpha contamination, and gamma radiation. Alpha measurements were performed at specific locations on the concrete slab floor. Soil samples were taken from beneath the slab to a depth of approximately three feet and were analyzed for Ra-226. The visible kiln foundation at the Belfield site was surveyed for total and removable alpha contamination. Alpha measurements were performed on the vertical kiln foundation walls and the horizontal surfaces. Soil samples were taken from a hole in the center of the foundation to a depth of 18 inches and were analyzed for Ra-226. Also, a sample of the concrete surface of the foundation was taken and analyzed for Ra-226.

Stream-bottom sediment and fish-tissue samples from the Red River of the North Basin, were analyzed for a large suite of chemical elements and organic chemicals. Cadmium, lead, and mercury were widespread in sediments, at concentrations not indicative of acute contamination. Mercury, the element of greatest health concern in the region, was detected at low concentrations in 38 of 43 sediment samples (<0.02-0.13 micrograms per gram) and all of eleven fish-liver samples (0.03-0.6 micrograms per gram dry weight, or 0.0066-0.13 micrograms per gram wet weight). Concentrations of many elements appeared to be controlled by mineral rather than anthropogenic sources. DDT and its metabolites were the most frequently detected synthetic organochlorines: p,p'-DDE was detected in 9 of 38 sediment samples (concentration range: <1-16 nanograms per gram) and also frequently in whole-fish samples. Total DDT (the sum of DDT and its metabolites) concentrations ranged from <5 to 217 nanograms per gram, and at least one component of total DDT was detected in 19 of 23 fish samples. Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites in stream sediments were significantly higher in the intensively cropped Red River Valley Lake Plain, compared to upland areas, probably because of greater historical DDT usage in the lake plain. Several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in stream-bottom sediments. Although the potentially toxic chemicals measured in this study were at low levels, relative to more contaminated areas of the Nation, maximum concentrations of some chemicals are of concern because of their possible effects on aquatic biota and human health.

Genetic relationships among the seven species of Agastache sect. Agastache common in North America and the one found in eastern Asia were assessed using starch-gel electrophoresis of twelve enzymatic proteins. Nei's (1976) genetic distance and identity values, calculated among the 32 populations used in this study, partitioned the Agastache section into four discrete groups: (1) A. nepetoides (easternNorth America), (2) A. scrophulariifolia and A. foeniculum (eastern and central North America), (3) the four species of the western U.S. (A. urticifolia, A. occidentalis, A. parvifolia, and A. cusickii), and (4) A. rugosa (eastern Asia). The Asian Agastache, separated from its American congeners for over 12 million years, differed from American populations at only two (the IDH-1 and LAP-1 alleles) of the fifteen loci surveyed; these alleles were not found in any of the North American plants. Nei's genetic distances between the Asian and North American populations ranged from 0.2877 to 0.6734.

Landfill extraction during highway expansion resulted in construction of artificial wetlands in Pembina, Barnes, Nelson and Ramsey Counties, NorthDakota. Twenty of these constructed wetlands were studied from 1981 to 1984 to determine (1) waterfowl pair, nesting and brood use, (2) marsh, shore and upland bird use, and (3) abundance and diversity of plants and aquatic invertebrates. Comparisons were made between data collected on constructed ponds with six natural basins nearby.

ong Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central NorthDakota, is an important habitat for numerous migratory birds and waterfowl, including several threatened or endangered species. The refuge is distinguished by Long Lake, which is approximately 65 square kilometers and consists of four primary water management units. Water levels in the Long Lake units are maintained by low-level dikes and water-control structures, which after construction during the 1930s increased the water-storage capacity of Long Lake and reduced the frequency and volume of flushing flows downstream. The altered water regime, along with the negative precipitation:evaporation ratio of the region, may be contributing to the accumulation of water-borne chemical constituents such as salts, trace metals, and other constituents, which at certain threshold concentrations may impair aquatic plant, invertebrate, and bird communities of the refuge. The refuge’s comprehensive conservation planning process identified the need for water-quality monitoring to assess current (2013) conditions, establish comparative baselines, evaluate changes over time (trends), and support adaptive management of the wetland units. In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NorthDakota Department of Health began a water-quality monitoring program at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge to address these needs. Biweekly water-quality samples were collected for ions, trace metals, and nutrients; and in situ sensors and data loggers were installed for the continuous measurement of specific conductance and water depth. Long Lake was characterized primarily by sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate ions. Overall results for total alkalinity and hardness were 580 and 329 milligrams per liter, respectively; thus, Long Lake is considered alkaline and classified as very hard. The mean pH and sodium adsorption ratio for Long Lake were 8.8 and 10, respectively. Total dissolved solids concentrations

A cross-sectional prevalence study was done in four primary care clinics (two rural and two urban sites) and four Native American clinics serving members of the Chippewa, Sioux, Hidasta, Arikara, and Mandan tribes, all in NorthDakota, to determine the prevalence of prone, supine, and side sleeping position in white and Native American infants. Questionnaires for 325 infants (259 whites and 66 Native Americans) between birth and 6 months of age were completed by the infants' mothers. They reported that 69 percent of the infants slept prone, 17 percent slept supine, and 14 percent slept on their side. Native American infants, who are at 3.2 times the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome compared with other NorthDakota infants, slept prone 46.9 percent of the time compared with 74.4 percent of white infants (chi 2 = 23.61; 1 df; P < .0001). No differences were observed in the prevalence of the side sleeping position. Eighteen percent of the infants slept in the position reported due to advice from a physician or nurse, 8 percent of the infants slept with more than two blankets, and 5 percent slept with a pillow. Native American infants in NorthDakota did not have a higher prevalence of exposure to prone sleeping position. PMID:8190870

A new species of chimaeroid, Ischyodus rayhaasi sp. nov., is described based primarily upon the number and configuration of tritors on palatine and mandibular tooth plates. This new species is named in honour of Mr Raymond Haas. Fossils of I. rayhaasi have been recovered from the Upper Maastrichtian Fox Hills Formation and the Breien Member and an unnamed member of the Hell Creek Formation at sites in south-central NorthDakota and north-central South Dakota, USA. Ischyodus rayhaasi inhabited shallow marine waters in the central part of the Western Interior Seaway during the latest Cretaceous. Apparently it was also present in similar habitats at that time in the Volga region of Russia. Ischyodus rayhaasi is the youngest Cretaceous species Ischyodus known to exist before the Cretaceous/Tertiary extinction, and the species apparently did not survive that event. It was replaced by Ischyodus dolloi, which is found in the Paleocene Cannonball Formation of the Williston Basin region of NorthDakota and is widely distributed elsewhere. ?? The Palaeontological Association.

An inventory of wetlands for the area included in the proposed Oahe irrigation project was conducted to provide supplemental data for the wildlife mitigation plan. Interpretation techniques for inventoring small wetlands in the low relief terrain of the Lake Dakota Plain were documented and data summaries included. The data were stored and tabulated in a computerized spatial data analysis system.

Two of the total petroleum systems (TPS) defined as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of the Williston Basin contain Mississippian Madison Group strata: 1) the Bakken-Lodgepole TPS, which includes the Lodgepole Formation; and 2) the Madison TPS, which includes the Mission Canyon, Charles, and Spearfish formations. The Bakken-Lodgepole TPS is defined as the area in which oil generated from the upper and lower shales of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation has accumulated in reservoirs in the Three Forks, Bakken, and Lodgepole formations. Two conventional assessment units (AU) have been identified within the Bakken-Lodgepole TPS, including one in the Bakken Formation and another in the Waulsortian mound reservoirs of the lower Lodgepole Formation. Lodgepole Formation Waulsortian mound oil production has been restricted to a small part of Stark County, NorthDakota. Reservoirs are sealed by middle and upper Lodgepole Formation tight argillaceous limestones. Several nonproductive mounds and mound-like structures have also been identified in the Lodgepole Formation. Productivity correlates closely with the oil window of the Bakken Formation shales, and also indicates the likelihood of limited lateral migration of Bakken Formation oil into Lodgepole Formation reservoirs in NorthDakota and Montana. Such considerations limit the estimated mean of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources to 8 million barrels of oil (MMBO) for the Lodgepole Formation conventional reservoirs. The Madison TPS is defined as the area where oil generated from Mission Canyon and Charles formation source rocks has accumulated in reservoirs of the Mission Canyon and Charles formations and in reservoirs within the Triassic Spearfish Formation. One continuous reservoir AU, the Mission Canyon-Charles AU, was defined within the Madison TPS; its boundary coincides with the TPS boundary. There is extensive conventional production throughout the AU on major

Microbial flora can provide insight into the ecology and natural history of wildlife in addition to improving understanding of health risks. This study examines the anaerobic oral flora of hunter killed black bears (Ursus americanus) in easternNorth Carolina. Oral swabs from the buccal and lingual supragingival tooth surfaces of the first and second mandibular and maxillary molars of 22 black bears were inoculated onto Brucella Blood Agar plates supplemented with hemin and vitamin K after transport from the field using reduced oxoid nutrient broth. Sixteen anaerobic bacterial species, representing nine genera were identified using the RapID ANA II Micromethod Kit system and a number of organisms grown that could not be identified with the system. The most frequently identified anaerobes were Peptostreptococcus prevotii, Streptococcus constellatus, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The diversity in the anaerobic oral flora of black bear in easternNorth Carolina suggests the importance of including these organisms in basic health risk assessment protocols and suggests a potential tool for assessment of bear/habitat interactions. PMID:22503889

The D and E lignite beds, the two mineable beds in the lower Sentinel Butte Member (Fort Union Formation), underlies the entire Rattlesnake Butt study area, NorthDakota but are unsaturated over much of their area of occurrence. Ground-water flow in both lignite aquifers is largely controlled by topography. Interconnected sand beds form aquifers between the E and D beds (E-D aquifer) and below the D bed (D-HT aquifer). Both aquifers underlie the central part of the study area and consist of fine silty sand. Depth to the aquifers is as much as 320 feet. Aquifers also occur in strata of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary age. Aquifers in the Fox Hills Sandstone (Cretaceous) and lower Tongue River Member (Tertiary) lie at depths of about 1,700 and 750 feet, respectively. All aquifers yield a sodium bicarbonate or sodium sulfate type water. Mean dissolved-solids concentrations in the four shallowest aquifers ranged from 1,290 to 1,970 milligrams per litter. North Creek and an unnamed tributary of Green River drain most of the study area. North Creek, the major drain, ceases to flow during several months of most years, while the Green River tributary, with a smaller basin area, has sustained base flows of 0.15 to 0.25 cubic foot per second. Mining-induced impacts on the shallow ground-water flow system would be very localized because of the already low water levels and the segmented nature of the flow system in the lignite aquifers. (USGS)

Nitrification plays a key role in the marine nitrogen (N) cycle, including in oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), which are hot spots for denitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox). Recent evidence suggests that nitrification links the source (remineralized organic matter) and sink (denitrification and anammox) of fixed N directly in the steep oxycline in the OMZs. We performed shipboard incubations with 15N tracers to characterize the depth distribution of nitrification in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). Additional experiments were conducted to investigate photoinhibition. Allylthiourea (ATU) was used to distinguish the contribution of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation. The abundance of archaeal and β-proteobacterial ammonia monooxygenase gene subunit A (amoA) was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The rates of ammonia and nitrite oxidation showed distinct subsurface maxima, with the latter slightly deeper than the former. The ammonia oxidation maximum coincided with the primary nitrite concentration maximum, archaeal amoA gene maximum, and the subsurface nitrous oxide maximum. Negligible rates of ammonia oxidation were found at anoxic depths, where high rates of nitrite oxidation were measured. Archaeal amoA gene abundance was generally 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than bacterial amoA gene abundance, and inhibition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria with 10 μM ATU did not affect ammonia oxidation rates, indicating the dominance of archaea in ammonia oxidation. These results depict highly dynamic activities of ammonia and nitrite oxidation in the oxycline of the ETNP OMZ.

Rift basins of the Atlantic passive margin in easternNorth America are filled with thousands of meters of continental rocks termed the Newark Supergroup which provide an unprecedented opportunity to examine the fine scale structure of the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction in continental environments. Time control, vital to the understanding of the mechanisms behind mass extinctions, is provided by lake-level cycles apparently controlled by orbitally induced climate change allowing resolution at the less than 21,000 year level. Correlation with other provinces is provided by a developing high resolution magnetostratigraphy and palynologically-based biostratigraphy. A large number of at least local vertebrate and palynomorph extinctions are concentrated around the boundary with survivors constituting the earliest Jurassic assemblages, apparently without the introduction of new taxa. The palynofloral transition is marked by the dramatic elimination of a relatively high diversity Triassic pollen assemblage with the survivors making up a Jurassic assemblage of very low diversity overwhelmingly dominated by Corollina. Based principally on palynological correlations, the hypothesis that these continental taxonomic transitions were synchronous with the massive Triassic-Jurassic marine extinctions is strongly corroborated. An extremely rapid, perhaps catastrophic, taxonomic turnover at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, synchronous in continental and marine realms is hypothesized and discussed.

Seasonal migration occurs in many animal systems and is likely to influence interactions between animals and their parasites. Here, we focus on monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and a protozoan parasite (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha) to investigate how host migration affects infectious disease processes. Previous work showed that parasite prevalence was lower among migratory than nonmigratory monarch populations; two explanations for this pattern are that (1) migration allows animals to periodically escape contaminated habitats (i.e., migratory escape), and (2) long-distance migration weeds out infected animals (i.e., migratory culling). We combined field-sampling and analysis of citizen science data to examine spatiotemporal trends of parasite prevalence and evaluate evidence for these two mechanisms. Analysis of within-breeding-season variation in easternNorth America showed that parasite prevalence increased from early to late in the breeding season, consistent with the hypothesis of migratory escape. Prevalence was also positively related to monarch breeding activity, as indexed by larval density. Among adult monarchs captured at different points along the east coast fall migratory flyway, parasite prevalence declined as monarchs progressed southward, consistent with the hypothesis of migratory culling. Parasite prevalence was also lower among monarchs sampled at two overwintering sites in Mexico than among monarchs sampled during the summer breeding period. Collectively, these results indicate that seasonal migration can affect parasite transmission in wild animal populations, with implications for predicting disease risks for species with threatened migrations. PMID:21618914

In the EasternNorth Atlantic Ocean iron (Fe) speciation was investigated in three size fractions: the dissolvable from unfiltered samples, the dissolved fraction (<0.2 μm) and the fraction smaller than 1000 kDa (<1000 kDa). Fe concentrations were measured by flow injection analysis and the organic Fe complexation by voltammetry. In the research area the water column consisted of North Atlantic Central Water (NACW), below which Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) was found with the core between 800 and 1000 m depth. Below 2000 m depth the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) proper was recognised. Dissolved Fe and Fe in the <1000 kDa fraction showed a nutrient like profile, depleted at the surface, increasing until 500-1000 m depth below which the concentration remained constant. Fe in unfiltered samples clearly showed the MOW with high concentrations (4 nM) compared to the overlying NACW and the underlying NADW, with 0.9 nM and 2 nM Fe, respectively. By using excess ligand (Excess L) concentrations as parameter we show a potential to bind Fe. The surface mixed layer had the highest excess ligand concentrations in all size fractions due to phytoplankton uptake and possible ligand production. The ratio of Excess L over Fe proved to be a complementary tool in revealing the relative saturation state of the ligands with Fe. In the whole water column, the organic ligands in the larger colloidal fraction (between 0.2 μm and 1000 kDa) were saturated with Fe, whereas those in the smallest fraction (<1000 kDa) were not saturated with Fe, confirming that this fraction was the most reactive one and regulates dissolution and colloid aggregation and scavenging processes. This regulation was remarkably stable with depth since the alpha factor (product of Excess L and K'), expressing the reactivity of the ligands, did not vary and was 10 13. Whereas, in the NACW and the MOW, the ligands in the particulate (>0.2 μm) fraction were unsaturated with Fe with respect to the dissolved

A time-of-travel and reaeration-rate study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the NorthDakota Department of Health, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the cities of Fargo, NorthDakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, to provide information to calibrate a water-quality model for streamflows of less than 150 cubic feet per second. Data collected from September 24 through 27, 2003, were used to develop and calibrate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program model (hereinafter referred to as the Fargo WASP water-quality model) for a 19.2-mile reach of the Red River of the North. The Fargo WASP water-quality model was calibrated for the transport of dye by fitting simulated time-concentration dye curves to measured time-concentration dye curves. Simulated peak concentrations were within 10 percent of measured concentrations. Simulated traveltimes of the dye cloud centroid were within 7 percent of measured traveltimes. The variances of the simulated dye concentrations were similar to the variances of the measured dye concentrations, indicating dispersion was reproduced reasonably well. Average simulated dissolved-oxygen concentrations were within 6 percent of average measured concentrations. Average simulated ammonia concentrations were within the range of measured concentrations. Simulated dissolved-oxygen and ammonia concentrations were affected by the specification of a single nitrification rate in the Fargo WASP water-quality model. Data sets from August 1989 and August 1990 were used to test traveltime and simulation of dissolved oxygen and ammonia. For streamflows that ranged from 60 to 407 cubic feet per second, simulated traveltimes were within 7 percent of measured traveltimes. Measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations were underpredicted by less than 15 percent for both data sets. Results for ammonia were poor; measured ammonia concentrations were underpredicted by as much as 70 percent

... anthropogenic air pollution. 64 FR 35714, 35715 (July 1, 1999). In most of the eastern Class I areas of the... source or small group of sources, i.e., ``reasonably attributable visibility impairment'' (RAVI). 45 FR... visibility is identified as an important value. See 44 FR 69122, November 30, 1979. The extent of a...

The circulation and hydrography of the north-easternNorth Atlantic has been studied with an emphasis on the upper layers and the deep water types which take part in the thermohaline overturning of the Oceanic Conveyor Belt. Over 900 hydrographic stations were used for this study, mainly from the 1987-1991 period. The hydrographic properties of Subpolar Mode Water in the upper layer, which is transported towards the Norwegian Sea, showed large regional variation. The deep water mass was dominated by the cold inflow of deep water from the Norwegian Sea and by a cyclonic recirculation of Lower Deep Water with a high Antarctic Bottom Water content. At intermediate levels the dominating water type was Labrador Sea Water with only minor influence of Mediterranean Sea Water. In the permanent pycnocline traces of Antarctic Intermediate Water were found. Geostrophic transports have been estimated, and these agreed in order of magnitude with the local heat budget, with current measurements, with data from surface drifters, and with the observed water mass modification. A total of 23 Sv of surface water entered the region, of which 20 Sv originated from the North Atlantic Current, while 3 Sv entered via an eastern boundary current. Of this total, 13 Sv of surface water left the area across the Reykjanes Ridge, and 7 Sv entered the Norwegian Sea, while 3 Sv was entrained by the cold overflow across the Iceland-Scotland Ridge. Approximately 1.4 Sv of Norwegian Sea Deep Water was involved in the overflow into the Iceland Basin, which, with about 1.1 Sv of entrained water and 1.1 Sv recirculating Lower Deep Water, formed a deep northern boundary current in the Iceland Basin. At intermediate depths, where Labrador Sea Water formed the dominant water type, about 2 Sv of entrained surface water contributed to a saline water mass which was transported westwards along the south Icelandic slope.

Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah Inc. has evaluated the Belfield site in order to assess the problems resulting from the existence of radiactive ash at Belfield, South Dakota. This engineering assessment has included drilling of boreholes and radiometric measurements sufficient to determine areas and volumes of ash and radiation exposures of individuals and nearby populations, the investigations of site hydrology and meteorology, and the evaluation and costing of alternative corrective actons. Radon gas released from the 55,600 tons of ash and contaminated material at the Belfield site constitutes a significant environmental impact, although external gamma radiation also is a factor. The four alternative actions presented in this engineering assessment range from millsite and off-site decontamination with the addition of 3 m of stabilization cover material, to removal of the ash and contaminated materials to remote disposal sites, and decontamination of the Belfield site. Cost estimates for the four options range from about $1,500,000 for stabilization in-place, to about $2,500,000 for disposal at a distance of about 17 mi from the Belfield site. Reprocessing the ash for uranium recovery is not feasible because of the extremely small amount of material available at the site and because of its low U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ content.

Three taxa within the leech family Glossiphoniidae, Actinobdella inequiannulata, Placobdella hollensis, and Theromyzon spp., though widespread in easternNorth America, remain poorly known with respect to their biology and systematics. All three taxa have been collected in New E...

This work summarizes the design and application of a Quality Control (QC) procedure for an observational surface wind database located in NorthEasternNorth America. It also presents some insights of the long-term climatological variability over the region. The database consists of 527 sites (487 land stations and 40 buoys) with varying resolutions of hourly, 3 hourly and 6 hourly data, compiled from three different source institutions. The records span from 1940 to 2010 and cover an approximate spatial extension of 2.2 × 106 km2. The QC process is composed of different phases focused either on problems related with the providing source institutions or measurement errors. Due to the size of the data set, a great effort has been made on the automation of the procedures. A number of problems are associated with data management and data conventions: unification of measurement units and recording times due to the variety of institutional sources; detection of erroneous data sequence duplications within a station or among different ones; and detection of errors related with physically unrealistic data measurements. From the other hand there is a variety of treated instrumental errors: problems related with low variability, placing particular emphasis on the detection of unrealistic low wind speed records with the help of regional references; high variability related erroneous records; wind speed biases on week to monthly timescales and homogenization of wind direction records. As a result, around 1.7% of wind speed records and 0.4% of wind direction records have been deleted, making a combined total of 1.9% of removed records. Around 2.4% of wind direction data have been also corrected. The already quality controlled database allows for subsequent climatological analyses. The intra and inter decadal variability of the monthly surface wind field in such a vast and orographically complex region as the NorthEasternNorth America is explored. Several decades of quality

This baseline risk assessment of ground water contamination at the inactive uraniferous lignite ashing site near Bowman, NorthDakota, evaluates the potential impacts to public health or the environment from contaminated ground water at this site. This contamination is a result of the uraniferous lignite ashing process, when coal containing uranium was burned to produce uranium. Potential risk is quantified only for constituents introduced by the processing activities and not for the constituents naturally occurring in background ground water in the site vicinity. Background ground water, separate from any site-related contamination, imposes a percentage of the overall risk from ground water ingestion in the Bowman site vicinity. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project is developing plans to address soil and ground water contamination at the site. The UMTRA Surface Project involves the determination of the extent of soil contamination and design of an engineered disposal cell for long-term storage of contaminated materials. The UMTRA Ground Water Project evaluates ground water contamination. Based on results from future site monitoring activities as defined in the site observational work plan and results from this risk assessment, the DOE will propose an approach for managing contaminated ground water at the Bowman site.

This Baseline Risk Assessment of Ground Water Contamination at the Inactive Uraniferous Lignite Ashing Site Near Belfield, NorthDakota, evaluates potential impacts to public health or the environment resulting from ground water contamination at the site where coal containing uranium was burned to produce uranium. The US Department of Energy`s Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project is evaluating plans to remedy soil and ground water contamination at the site. Phase I of the UMTRA Project consists of determining the extent of soil contamination. Phase II of the UMTRA Project consists of evaluating ground water contamination. Under Phase II, results of this risk assessment will help determine what remedial actions may be necessary for contaminated ground water at the site. This risk assessment evaluates the potential risks to human health and the environment resulting from exposure to contaminated ground water as it relates to historic processing activities at the site. Potential risk is quantified for constituents introduced from the processing activities, and not for those constituents naturally occurring in water quality in the site vicinity. Background ground water quality has the potential to cause adverse health effects from exposure through drinking. Any risks associated with contaminants attributable to site activities are incremental to these risks from background ground water quality. This incremental risk from site-related contaminants is quantified in this risk assessment. The baseline risk from background water quality is incorporated only into the assessment of potential chemical interactions and the definition of the overall site condition.

Carbonate concretionary bodies were encountered during mining of the Beulah-Zap lignite seam in the Coteau Properties' Freedom mine, Mercer County, NorthDakota. Preliminary studies show that areal and vertical distribution of the concretions are variable. All concretions examined are composed almost entirely of calcite. They occur as thin tabular bodies, as more or less elliptical forms, or as tear shaped bodies, and may occur individually or as clusters of buff-colored, poorly consolidated to solidly crystalline material. The carbonate masses vary in size from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters. Bedding in the lignite may display some compactional folding over dense spheroidal to elliptical concretions, indicating formation of the concretions prior to compaction. Internal morphology of the concretions is complex, and includes cone-in-cone structure, cross-cutting calcite veinlets, and multiple generations of calcite. Carbon isotope values suggest the concretions are composed of biogenic carbonate, probably related to early diagenesis and decomposition of organic matter (peat); oxygen isotope values are light, and consistent with a freshwater origin.

Although the American badger (Taxidea taxus) is common in grasslands and preys on a wide diversity of foods including birds, little is known about badger diet in areas where nesting ducks are common. Small mammals, primarily Muridae and Geomyidae, were the most common food items in the diet of badgers collected from west-central Minnesota and southeastern NorthDakota during April-July 1987 through 1990, based on analysis of gastrointestinal tracts of 47 adult ( 1/4 -y-old) and 5 juvenile (<6-mo-old) badgers. Remains of mammals occurred in 98% of samples from adult badgers. Small quantities of insects were found in 40% of adult samples. Bird remains were in 32% of adult samples, most birds identified as Anatidae; ducks or ducklings occurred in 27% and duck eggs in 60% of those samples. Remains of reptiles, amphibians and mollusks were present, but were less common than other foods. Insects and bird eggs were more common during spring (April-May) than summer (June-July). Birds were more frequent in diets of adults than juvenile badgers.

The Bowrnan-Gascoyne area is located in southwestern NorthDakota. It is situated on the southwestern edge of the Williston structural basin and the northeastern flank of the Cedar Creek anticline. Strata of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene), consisting of nonmarine claystone, sandstone, and lignite, dip to the northeast 25-50 ft/mi. Seven correlatable coal beds of varying thicknesses and areal dimensions occur in the area. The thickest and most persistent of these beds is the Harmon bed which attains a maximum thickness of 38 ft in T. 134 N., Rs. 101 and 102 W. Analyses show a heating value of 5,915-6,680 Btu/lb and a sulfur content of 0.6-1.4 percent. Two areas of high-coal-development potential are located near Gascoyne and Amidon. The Harmon bed in these two areas contains a total of 740,000,000 and 650,000,000 tons, respectively, and is under less than 150 ft of overburden.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and associated gas resources of the Upper Devonian to Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation in the U.S. portion of the Williston Basin of Montana and NorthDakota and within the Williston Basin Province. The assessment is based on geologic elements of a total petroleum system (TPS), which include (1) source-rock distribution, thickness, organic richness, maturation, petroleum generation, and migration; (2) reservoir-rock type (conventional or continuous), distribution, and quality; and (3) character of traps and time of formation with respect to petroleum generation and migration. Framework studies in stratigraphy and structural geology and modeling of petroleum geochemistry, combined with historical exploration and production analyses, were used to estimate the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil resource of the Bakken Formation. Using this framework, the USGS defined a Bakken-Lodgepole TPS and seven assessment units (AU) within the system. For the Bakken Formation, the undiscovered oil and associated gas resources were quantitatively estimated for six of these AUs.

High-resolution fossil-pollen and diatom data from Moon Lake, NorthDakota, reveal major climate and vegetation changes near the western margin of the tall-grass prairie. Fourteen AMS radiocarbon dates provide excellent time control for the past {approximately}11,800 {sup 14}C years B.P. Picea dominated during the late-glacial until it abruptly declined {approximately}10,300 B.P. During the early Holocene ({approximately}10,300-8000 B.P.), deciduous trees and shrubs (Populus, Betula, Corylus, Quercus, and especially Ulmus) were common, but prairie taxa (Poaceae, Artemisia, and Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae) gradually increased. During this period the diatoms indicate the lake becoming gradually more saline as water-level fell. By {approximately}8000 B.P., salinity had increased to the point that the diatoms were no longer sensitive to further salinity increases. However, fluctuating pollen percentages of mud-flat weeds (Ambrosia and Iva) indicate frequently changing water levels during the mid-Holocene ({approximately}8000-5000 B.P.). The driest millennium was 7000-6000 B.P., when Iva annua was common. After {approximately}3000 B.P. the lake became less-saline, and the diatoms were again sensitive to changing salinity. The Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age are clearly evident in the diatom data.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study in a stratified random sample of 135 bars and restaurants in NorthDakota was to describe factors that influenced tobacco smoke pollution levels in the venues; to compare the quantity of tobacco smoke pollution by rurality and by presence of local ordinances; and to assess compliance with state and local laws. In data collection in 2012, we measured the indoor air quality indicator of particulate matter (2.5 microns aerodynamic diameter or smaller), calculated average smoking density and occupant density, and determined compliance with state and local smoking ordinances using observational methods. As rurality increased, tobacco smoke pollution in bars increased. A significant association was found between stringency of local laws and level of tobacco smoke pollution, but the strength of the association varied by venue type. Compliance was significantly lower in venues in communities without local ordinances. Controlling for venue type, 69.2% of smoke-free policy's impact on tobacco smoke pollution levels was mediated by observed smoking. This study advances scientific knowledge on the factors influencing tobacco smoke pollution and informs public health advocates and decision makers on policy needs, especially in rural areas. PMID:25962373

A series of water samples (precipitation, surface water and ground water) from the Devils Lake drainage basin in central NorthDakota have been analyzed for their ??180 and ??D and 87Sr/86Sr. The ??180 and ??D of snow and most ground water samples fall near the meteoric water line, with the ground water being isotopically heavier than the snow, indicating that a portion of the recharge must come from non-winter precipitation events. One ground water and all the surface water samples fall below the meteoric water line, demonstrating extensive evaporation. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the snow is more radiogenic than those of the ground water samples, indicating that the ground water has increased its 86Sr content by the dissolution of mafic rock in the aquifer. Stump Lake has a much inure radiogenic Sr isotopic ratio than the waters of Devils Lake suggesting a source of water different from that of Devils Lake. The East Stump Lake water, on the other hand, appears to be either a mix of Devils Lake and Stump Lake waters, or Devils Lake water diluted with precipitation.